eating disorder

noun

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

eating disorder

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of eating disorder¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

She said there had also been a rise in eating disorders, which could be partly explained as an attempt to exert control or because of the increased time spent online.

From BBC

I think the experience of briefly having an eating disorder and fighting my way out of it — that felt distinctly female, and cutting the cord on that felt like I became a woman.

From Los Angeles Times

Staff at a specialist eating disorder unit have been photographed sleeping when they should have been looking after patients who were at risk of harming themselves.

From BBC

Researchers note that such moralizing can lead to the development of eating disorders like orthorexia, or a fixation on eating “correct” foods.

From Salon

It's this pressure that worries specialists such as Jen Tomei, a nutritional and eating disorder therapist, who gives talks in schools about body image.

From BBC