eating disorder

American  

noun

eating disorders plural

1. any of various disorders, as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, characterized by severe disturbances in eating habits.

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eating disorder Scientific  

/ ē′tĭng /

1. Any of several patterns of severely disturbed eating behavior, especially anorexia nervosa and bulimia, seen mainly in female teenagers and young women.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• eating disorders
  plural

Etymology

Origin of eating disorder

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eating disorder

While advice on diet and exercise could be helpful to some users, it can be harmful to someone with an eating disorder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Oscar-frontrunner Jessie Buckley has said acting is "like water to me" as she spoke about how passion for her craft helped her overcome an eating disorder and depression as a teenager.

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026

Amber Glenn recalls struggling with depression and an eating disorder early in her career.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026

But for anyone who’s tangled with an eating disorder — and the way its tendrils quietly siphon joy from even the simplest routines — it is something.

From Salon ● Jan. 1, 2026

She's taken her eating disorder on the road, conditioning her hair with whipped topping and rolling her bangs in finger-size breakfast sausages.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris