dysmorphia en · NOUN
Etymology
From Ancient Greek δυσμορφίᾱ (dusmorphíā, “misshapenness, ugliness”), from δυσ- (dus-, “bad, mal-”) + μορφή (morphḗ, “shape, form”) + -ίᾱ (-íā). Note that sense 2 is a semantic extension from "physical deformity" to a disorder of the perception of one’s bodily form. By surface analysis, dys- + -morph + -ia.
Meanings
- (countable, uncountable) dysmorphism
-
(countable, uncountable) Any of various psychological disorders of distorted body image in which a person inaccurately believes that their body is misshapen or inadequate, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and muscle dysmorphia ("bigorexia").
The quest for perfect pecs is so strong that psychiatrists now sometimes refer to it as “bigorexia,” a form of muscle dysmorphia exhibited mostly by men and characterized by excessive weight lifting, a preoccupation with not feeling muscular enough and a strict adherence to eating foods that lower weight and build muscle.
2022 March 5, Alex Hawgood, “What Is ‘Bigorexia’?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 29 Mar 2022:Body dysmorphia “was invented by old psychologists who grew up in the Fifties and had NO problem to find a looksmatch [someone who is your counterpart in terms of appearance] or even better-looking wife”, noted another.
2019 August 6, Alice Hines, “Men are having their faces rebuilt – and it’s all to get a date”, in The Times, UK:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| dysmorphias | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
body dysmorphia · money dysmorphia · muscle dysmorphia
Relateds
Synonyms
dysmorphophobia · dysmorphobia · dysmorphosis · body dysmorphic disorder · body dysmorphia
Translations (12)
sv dysmorfofobi (dysmorphia) · da dysmorfofobi (dysmorphia) · nn dysmorfofobi (dysmorphia) · nb dysmorfofobi (dysmorphia) · de Dysmorphophobie (dysmorphia) · fr dysmorphophobie (dysmorphia) · it dismorfofobia (dysmorphia) · ru дисморфия (dysmorphia) · nl dysmorfofobie (dysmorphia) · es dismorfofobia (dysmorphia) · ru дисморфофо́бия (dysmorphia) · mk дисморфофобија (dysmorphia)