valetudinarian

American  

[val-i-tood-n-air-ee-uhn, -tyood-] / ˌvæl ɪˌtud nˈɛər i ən, -ˌtyud- /

noun

1. an invalid.

2. a person who is excessively concerned about their own poor health or ailments.

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adjective

1. in poor health; sickly; invalid.

2. excessively concerned about one's poor health or ailments.

3. of, relating to, or characterized by invalidism.

valetudinarian British  

/ ˌvælɪˈtjuːdɪnərɪ, ˌvælɪˌtjuːdɪˈnɛərɪən /

noun

1. a person who is or believes himself to be chronically sick; invalid

2. a person excessively worried about the state of his health; hypochondriac

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adjective

1. relating to, marked by, or resulting from poor health

2. being a valetudinarian

3. trying to return to a healthy state

Other Word Forms

• valetudinarianism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of valetudinarian

First recorded in 1695–1705; valetudinary + -an

Example Sentences

“There’s a class-based idea that anything too valetudinarian, too conspicuously hygienic, is middle-class,” he said, using a long word for being unduly anxious about one’s health.

From New York Times • Jul. 14, 2020

Paranoid about his health, this classic valetudinarian is really scared of dying alone and unloved.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2016

With the air of an unwilling valetudinarian, Michigan's handsome, boot-jawed Governor Kim Sigler got up to speak before the Economics Club of Detroit.

From Time Magazine Archive

Other countries should be put on notice that Britain is nobody's poor relation and nobody's valetudinarian cousin.

From Time Magazine Archive

Physically he was far from strong, and almost the first comment made by Canadians on him was that their new governor-general came to them a valetudinarian.

From British Supremacy & Canadian Self-Government, 1839-1854 by Morison, J. L. (John Lyle)