Meaning & use
dysphoria
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablemedicaltechnical
A deep, lasting state of unease, dissatisfaction or distress, often described as the opposite of feeling well or happy.
Grammar: Usually uncountable: she experienced dysphoria, not a dysphoria.
Patterns
- dysphoria about something
- dysphoria after something
The patient described a constant dysphoria that no medication could ease.
Doctors noted dysphoria and restlessness after the treatment stopped.
Dysphoria can make ordinary tasks feel exhausting.
noununcountablemedical
The distress a person feels when their body or assigned gender does not match their sense of who they are.
Grammar: Usually in the phrase gender dysphoria.
Patterns
- gender dysphoria
- dysphoria about something
Gender dysphoria can lead some people to seek medical support.
He spoke openly about his dysphoria in an interview.
Counselors help young people manage dysphoria with understanding and care.
Common combinations
- gender dysphoria
- She works with teenagers who experience gender dysphoria.
- experience dysphoria
- Some patients experience dysphoria after major surgery.
- relieve dysphoria
- Therapy helped relieve his dysphoria.
- intense dysphoria
- He reported intense dysphoria in the evenings.
- symptoms of dysphoria
- Symptoms of dysphoria include irritability and low mood.
Synonyms and how they differ
- distress
- Distress is the general word for suffering and has no medical ring, while dysphoria is a clinical term.
- unease
- Unease is milder and everyday, but dysphoria suggests deeper, longer-lasting discomfort.
- malaise
- Malaise is a vague feeling of being unwell, often in the body, while dysphoria is mainly emotional.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: dysphoria or euphoria? dysphoria or dyslexia?
dysphoria vs euphoria
Euphoria is intense happiness; dysphoria is deep unease. They look alike but are opposites.
dysphoria vs dyslexia
Dyslexia is a difficulty with reading and has nothing to do with mood.
Practice
Which word is the opposite of dysphoria?
Choose one answer.
Dysphoria is deep unease, while euphoria is intense happiness. Hysteria and phobia are also negative, and utopia is a place, not a feeling.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dysphoria”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.