valetudinarian

C2 Topic:People & Society

US /ˌvælətudəˈnɛriən/ UK /ˌvælətjuːdɪˈnɛəriən/ See IPA manual

Freq #314764

Meanings

1

noun
a person of weak or sickly health, especially one excessively preoccupied with personal ailments

The habitual valetudinarian discussed every minor symptom at dinner.
2

adj
sickly, infirm, or excessively concerned with health

His valetudinarian habits kept him indoors whenever the weather changed.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a person of weak or sickly... hypochondriac invalid

2 adj · sickly, infirm, or... sickly hypochondriacal infirm

Opposites

robust healthy hale

Word family

Derived forms valetudinarianism

Related forms valetudinaryvaletudehypochondria

Etymology

From valetudinary + -an, ultimately from Latin valetudinarius, 'sickly,' based on valetudo, 'state of health or ill health,' and valere, 'to be strong or well.' English usage gave the health word an ironically sickly emphasis.

Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# valetudinarian

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌvælətudəˈnɛriən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌvælətjuːdɪˈnɛəriən/
**Frequency rank:** 314764

## Meanings
1. a person of weak or sickly health, especially one excessively preoccupied with personal ailments
2. sickly, infirm, or excessively concerned with health

## Examples
- The habitual valetudinarian discussed every minor symptom at dinner.
- His valetudinarian habits kept him indoors whenever the weather changed.

## Synonyms
- hypochondriac
- invalid
- sickly
- hypochondriacal

## Antonyms
- robust
- healthy
- hale

## Derived Forms
- valetudinarianism

## Related Forms
- valetudinary
- valetude
- hypochondria

## Etymology
From valetudinary + -an, ultimately from Latin valetudinarius, 'sickly,' based on valetudo, 'state of health or ill health,' and valere, 'to be strong or well.' English usage gave the health word an ironically sickly emphasis.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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