hypochondriacal
1
9.9
- adjective
- /ˌhaɪpəˈkɒndriəkl/
:
hipocondríaco
- In a later study, Sabo (1990) found that anxiety reactions, depression, and hypochondriacal preoccupations were common among husbands of breast cancer patients.
- hypochondriacal concerns
Examples
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That hypochondriacal neurotic.
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The story, about a paranoid and hypochondriacal hit man, actually began as a novel before Dexter decided to try something new.
Fiction book (2002) -
Don't see the hypochondriacal wife of the mayor, and the television hurricane will bend up the bay and sink the sailboat.
Fiction book (1991) -
Finally, one would not expect the null findings for women if hypochondriacal tendencies were predominantly responsible for the findings, for it is highly unlikely that men would be subject to such a bias but not women.
Academic text (1996) -
The employer has no real friends except for the servant, in good part because he is given to sarcasm, periods of dark despair, temper tantrums, and hypochondriacal illnesses, alternating with intense self-appreciation.
Fiction book (2002) -
She often feels hypochondriacal, worrying that every minor ache could be a serious illness.
-
His hypochondriacal tendencies lead him to frequently visit the doctor for symptoms that are often benign.
-
After reading about various diseases, he became hypochondriacal, convinced he had every ailment mentioned.
Synonyms
63
7.2
Being very worried about small things and unable to relax
Very worried about your health even when doctors find nothing wrong
How Worried
Surface Forms
Morphology
hypochondriacal = hypochondriac (transparent) = hypochondriac + al
The adjective is formed in the regular way from the noun 'hypochondriac' plus '-al', and the meaning is directly related to that base.
Etymology
Hypochondriacal comes from Greek parts hypo- 'under' and chondros 'cartilage', meaning the area under the ribs. Long ago, people thought strange pains there showed illness, so a hypochondriacal person is someone who is always worried they are sick.