anemia

American  

[uh-nee-mee-uh] / əˈni mi ə /

Or anaemia

noun

anemias plural

1. Pathology. a quantitative deficiency of the hemoglobin, often accompanied by a reduced number of red blood cells and causing pallor, weakness, and breathlessness.

2. a lack of power, vigor, vitality, or colorfulness.

   His writing suffers from anemia.

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anemia British  

/ əˈniːmɪə /

noun

1. the usual US spelling of anaemia

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anemia Scientific  

/ ə-nē′mē-ə /

1. A deficiency in the oxygen-carrying component of the blood, as in the amount of hemoglobin or the number or volume of red blood cells. Iron deficiency, often caused by inadequate dietary consumption of iron, and blood loss are common causes of anemia.

2. See also aplastic anemia hemolytic anemia and sickle cell anemia

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anemia Cultural  

1. A condition in which the capacity of the blood to carry oxygen is decreased because of too few red blood cells in circulation or because of too little hemoglobin.

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Discover More

Because people suffering from anemia often appear weak and pale, the term is frequently used to describe general apathy or weakness: “The team's performance has been pretty anemic these past few weeks.”

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pseudoanemia
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• anemias
  plural

Etymology

Origin of anemia

First recorded in 1800–10; from New Latin, from Greek anaimía “bloodlessness, lack of blood”; see an- ¹, -emia

Compare meaning

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

• thalassemia vs. anemia
• sickle cell anemia vs. anemia

Explanation

Anemia is a medical condition resulting from lack of red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood. People with anemia are often pale and lacking in energy. You become anemic when you are not getting enough iron. It is common among college students living away from home for the first time, because they often subsist on a diet of cheap carbohydrates instead of iron-rich, but expensive, foods like red meat and fresh vegetables.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anemia anemias

In 2026, it is 100 years since George Minot and William Murphy reported that a liver-rich diet could treat pernicious anemia, then a frequently fatal disease.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

A century later, researchers are still finding that this tiny cobalt-containing molecule does more than prevent anemia.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

Together, this work points to one possible reason why some people with low B12 report fatigue before obvious anemia is detected.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

Until then, children in the area generally only saw doctors in dire emergencies; rickets, anemia and other consequences of malnutrition were rampant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

Apparently Lynn’s anemia was “acting up” and she just needed more liver.

From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata

Various disease processes also can lead to anemias.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

Vitamin-deficient anemias generally involve insufficient vitamin B12 and folate.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

The effects of the various anemias are widespread, because reduced numbers of RBCs or hemoglobin will result in lower levels of oxygen being delivered to body tissues.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

No less than 50% of all blood-destroying anemias acquired after infancy, he believes, are the results of autoimmune reactions.

From Time Magazine Archive

This specialist now has a large number of detailed case histories based on every patient he has seen with leukemias, aplastic anemias, Hodgkin’s disease, and other disorders of the blood and blood-forming tissues.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson