anorexia
Americannoun
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loss of appetite
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Also called: anorexia nervosa. a disorder characterized by fear of becoming fat and refusal of food, leading to debility and even death
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Loss of appetite, especially as a result of disease.
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Anorexia nervosa.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of anorexia
First recorded in 1590–1600; from New Latin, from Greek, from an- an- 1 + órex(is) “appetite, desire, longing” (from orég(ein) “to reach, stretch” + -sis -sis ) + -ia -ia
Compare meaning
How does anorexia compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Anorexia is a serious medical disorder in which someone has no appetite, and so doesn't eat. If someone you know becomes so thin that it alarms you, they might have anorexia. Anorexia means "no appetite" in Greek. The full name of the medical disorder is anorexia nervosa, a very serious problem that causes people to starve themselves as the result of an emotional disturbance rather than a problem with food or digestion, or simply not being hungry.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Passages about Lord Byron’s anorexia and the invention of the first electric battery will enrapture a reader.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
She had no medical consultation, no ID checks, and no questions about her history of anorexia and bulimia.
From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026
Food noise is also common in bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa.
From Science Daily • Dec. 8, 2025
He was also the first designer to ban underweight models from the runway, after the death of model Ana Carolina Reston in 2006 from anorexia nervosa.
From BBC • Sep. 4, 2025
When an animal began showing signs of anorexia, its condition deteriorated rapidly.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
