anorectic

IPA/ˌæn.əˈrek.tɪk/
IPA/ˌæn.əˈrek.tɪk/

anorectic — adjective

  • anorecticpositive
  • more anorecticcomparative
  • most anorecticsuperlative

1. describes someone who has anorexia nervosa, a serious mental condition that make

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes someone who has anorexia nervosa, a serious mental condition that makes them eat very little because they fear gaining weight

Example

The clinic runs a special program for anorectic teenagers who need help.

collocation: anorectic + teenager / patient / young person

Dr. Okafor treated an anorectic patient at the hospital for six months.

Common collocations
  • anorectic patient
  • anorectic teenager
  • anorectic young person
  • anorectic woman
  • anorectic individual
Synonyms
  • anorexic

    far more common in everyday speech; 'anorectic' is the clinical equivalent

  • emaciated

    describes the physical result (extremely thin) rather than the condition itself

Grammar Patterns

be anorectic

anorectic + noun

Usage Note

In everyday conversation, 'anorexic' is more common than 'anorectic'. The clinical term 'anorectic' appears most often in medical reports and psychology journals.

Common Mistakes

She has been anorectic for three years, skipping every meal.
She has had anorexia for three years, skipping every meal.
'anorectic' is an adjective describing a person, not a noun for the condition itself. Use 'anorexia' for the condition name.
He feels anorectic about the exam.
He feels anxious about the exam.
'anorectic' relates to the eating disorder, not to a general lack of appetite or nervousness.

2. describes a drug, chemical, or treatment that causes a person to lose their appe

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

describes a drug, chemical, or treatment that causes a person to lose their appetite or feel less hungry

Example

This anorectic drug makes patients feel less hungry during their treatment.

collocation: anorectic drug / medicine / agent

Dr. Park explained that the anorectic effect of the medicine lasts about two weeks.

collocation: anorectic effect

Common collocations
  • anorectic drug
  • anorectic agent
  • anorectic effect
  • anorectic compound
  • anorectic chemical
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

anorectic + noun (drug/agent/effect)

Usage Note

This sense is almost exclusively used in medical and pharmacological writing. The subject is always a substance or treatment — never a person.

Common Mistakes

The anorectic patient took the medicine.' (intended meaning: appetite-reducing)
The anorectic drug reduced the patient's appetite.
the adjective modifies the substance, not the person. If describing a person who has anorexia, use sense 1.

anorectic — noun

Word family

  • anorexia
    nounB2
  • anorexic
    adjectiveB2
  • anorexic
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

While all four words relate to extreme thinness, they describe different aspects. 'Anorectic' and 'anorexic' both refer specifically to anorexia nervosa as a medical condition — they name the eating disorder itself. 'Anorexic' is far more common in everyday speech and is understood by a broader audience. 'Emaciated' describes the physical state of being abnormally thin, usually from illness or lack of food, without specifying the cause. 'Underweight' is a clinical measurement (below normal body weight for one's height, age, or frame) and is less extreme than 'emaciated'. 'Starved' implies a severe lack of food over a long period, whether by force (famine, poverty) or by choice (self-starvation). For example: a doctor might say 'the anorectic patient was severely underweight' (condition + measurement), while a news reporter might describe war refugees as 'emaciated and starved' (result + cause, no eating disorder involved).

anorexicemaciated ↗underweight ↗starved ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • severely anorectic

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

'Anorectic' comes from Greek 'an-' (without) + 'orexis' (appetite, desire), which itself comes from 'oregein' (to reach out for, to desire). The suffix '-ic' turns it into an adjective. The word entered English through medical Latin in the late 19th century, first describing a lack of appetite in physical illnesses, then later becoming linked specifically to anorexia nervosa (the eating disorder) in the 20th century.