invalidism

American  

[in-vuh-li-diz-uhm] / ˈɪn və lɪˌdɪz əm /

noun

1. prolonged ill health.

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invalidism British  

/ ˈɪnvəlɪˌdɪzəm /

noun

1. the state of being an invalid, esp by reason of ill health

2. a state of being abnormally preoccupied with one's physical health

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Etymology

Origin of invalidism

First recorded in 1785–95; invalid ¹ + -ism

Example Sentences

But though they offered unprecedented mobility, these wicker-and-wood chairs were seen as a sign of invalidism and dependence—and couldn’t have been more different from the modern wheelchairs that offer even more ways to move.

From National Geographic • Jul. 14, 2023

Florence Nightingale and Elizabeth Barrett Browning used invalidism as a way to carve out time, space and mental freedom so that they could get on with reforming the Indian army and writing lyric verse respectively.

From The Guardian • Jul. 21, 2018

Kobayashi's invalidism is interesting because it doesn't fit any of the prior templates.

From Slate • Jun. 30, 2011

For the first 75 pages, the phrases are crisp: "A conformable heiress whose career of discreet invalidism had so recently been rounded off by the appropriate distinction of death."

From Time Magazine Archive

At twenty-one, long before ill-fitting dentures and self-imposed invalidism, my grandmother was something of a beauty.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides