hypochondriac

1 of 2

adjective

hy·​po·​chon·​dri·​ac ˌhī-pə-ˈkän-drē-ˌak 

1

: hypochondriacal

2

anatomy : of, relating to, or being the two regions of the abdomen lying on either side of the epigastric region and above the lumbar regions

hypochondriac

2 of 2

noun

: a person who is often or always worried about his or her own health : a person affected by hypochondria or hypochondriasis

… comparing America's addiction to polls to a hypochondriac's obsessive monitoring of his pulse rate.

—Erica Goode

Although a self-avowed hypochondriac, he actually did suffer from a variety of ailments …

—Eugenia Zukerman

Examples of hypochondriac in a Sentence

Noun

My brother is a real hypochondriac. Every time he reads about some new disease, he thinks he has it.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Two hypochondriac siblings have taken to the mountains to avoid all electromagnetic frequencies in this hypnotic lesson in claustrophobia and the evocative power of light. —J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024

Crampton is a hypochondriac: her preferred term, though modern medicine is trying to drum it out of the discourse. —Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024

Noun

To position Cohn in bed next to Trump, a notorious hypochondriac, highlights their strained relationship as Trump rose and Cohn fell in New York high society. —Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 8 Oct. 2024

They are widely seen as overly anxious hypochondriacs. —Evan Malmgren, Harper's Magazine, 21 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

earlier, "arising in the hypochondria (organs of the upper abdomen behind the ribs)," borrowed from Middle French hypochondriaque, borrowed from Medieval Latin hypochondriacus, borrowed from Greek hypochondriakós, from hypochóndria + -akos -ac — more at hypochondria

Noun

borrowed from Middle French hypochondriaque, noun derivative of hypochondriaque hypochondriac entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1639, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hypochondriac

noun

hy·​po·​chon·​dri·​ac

ˌhī-pə-ˈkän-drē-ˌak

: a person who has hypochondria

Medical Definition

hypochondriac

1 of 2 adjective

hy·​po·​chon·​dri·​ac -drē-ˌak 

1

: hypochondriacal

2

a

: situated below the costal cartilages

b

: of, relating to, or being the two abdominal regions lying on either side of the epigastric region and above the lumbar regions

hypochondriac

2 of 2 noun

: an individual affected with hypochondria or hypochondriasis

A person can be said to be a hypochondriac when his or her preoccupation with health or disease is so intense that it disrupts normal living habits and is disproportionate to any medical problems that actually exist.

—People Weekly