dysmorphia
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 1.95 in modern English
21
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of various psychological disorders of distorted body image in which a person inaccurately believes that their body is misshapen or inadequate, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and muscle dysmorphia ("bigorexia").
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Body dysmorphia “was invented by old psychologists who grew up in the Fifties and had NO problem to find a looksmatch [someone who is your counterpart in terms of appearance] or even better-looking wife”, noted another."
- "The quest for perfect pecs is so strong that psychiatrists now sometimes refer to it as “bigorexia,” a form of muscle dysmorphia exhibited mostly by men and characterized by excessive weight lifting, a preoccupation with not feeling muscular enough and a strict adherence to eating foods that lower weight and build muscle."
Etymology
From Ancient Greek δυσμορφίᾱ (dusmorphíā, “misshapenness, ugliness”), from δυσ- (dus-, “bad, mal-”) + μορφή (morphḗ, “shape, form”) + -ίᾱ (-íā). Note that sense 2 is a semantic extension from "physical deformity" to a disorder of the perception of one’s bodily form. By surface analysis, dys- + -morph + -ia.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: δυσμορφίᾱ