cyclothymia

American  

[sahy-kluh-thahy-mee-uh, sik-luh-] / ˌsaɪ kləˈθaɪ mi ə, ˌsɪk lə- /

noun

Psychiatry.

1. a mild bipolar disorder characterized by instability of mood and a tendency to swing between mild euphorias and depressions.

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cyclothymia British  

/ ˌsɪk-, ˌsaɪkləʊˈθaɪmɪə /

noun

1. psychiatry a condition characterized by periodical swings of mood between excitement and depression, activity and inactivity See also manic-depressive

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Other Word Forms

• cyclothymic adjective

Etymology

Origin of cyclothymia

First recorded in 1920–25; cyclo- + -thymia

Compare meaning

How does cyclothymia compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cyclothymia vs. dysthymia

Example Sentences

The lyrics discuss her experience of the rare mood disorder cyclothymia, which causes emotional ups and downs that are similar to, but less extreme than, those of bipolar disorder.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2023

"After years of struggling, simply getting the label of cyclothymia placed on how I was feeling was life changing."

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2021

What is cyclothymia, and how does it affect you?

From Slate • Dec. 9, 2020

It’s interesting that although I’m alone in this pandemic moment, right now it feels like half the world is suffering from cyclothymia.

From Slate • Dec. 9, 2020

We think of the bull-necked Henry the Eighth—"bluff King Hal"—as the choleric type, though here we also assume a certain cyclothymia, great good nature alternating with fierce anger.

From The Foundations of Personality by Myerson, Abraham