gender dysphoria

noun

: a distressed state arising from conflict between a person's gender identity and the sex the person was identified as having at birth

also : a condition marked by such distress

Examples of gender dysphoria in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While breast reduction surgery is the right treatment for some patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a state should be allowed to prevent doctors from using it to treat the common cold. —Ian Millhiser, Vox, 24 June 2024

Two of the three judges said the evolving issue of gender dysphoria may be better left in the hands of state legislatures. —Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 24 June 2024

The outcome of the case could have a nationwide impact, since more than 20 states have in recent years enacted laws restricting treatments like puberty-blocking drugs, hormone therapy or surgeries for minors experiencing gender dysphoria. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 24 June 2024

The motion also cited a ruling by a panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that rejected a preliminary injunction issued by a district judge against an Alabama ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors with gender dysphoria. —Jim Saunders, Sun Sentinel, 19 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

gender dysphoria

noun

: a distressed state arising from conflict between a person's gender identity and the sex the person was identified as having at birth

Nonbinary people may or may not use medical approaches to align their identities and physical bodies, and, like transgender people, some nonbinary people experience gender dysphoria while others do not.

—Elizabeth Kukura, Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics

also : a condition marked by such distress

Scientists have no conclusive explanation for what causes some people to feel dissonance between their gender identity and aspects of their anatomy. In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association updated its manual, replacing the term "gender identity disorder," with one that is less stigmatizing, "gender dysphoria."

—The New York Times

compare gender euphoria