valetudinarian

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˌvælɪˌtjuːdɪˈnɛərɪən/

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(val′i to̅o̅d′n âr′ē ən, -tyo̅o̅d′-)



WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
val•e•tu•di•nar•i•an  (val′i to̅o̅d′n âr′ē ən, -tyo̅o̅d′-),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. an invalid.
  2. a person who is excessively concerned about his or her poor health or ailments.

adj. 
  1. in poor health;
    sickly;
    invalid.
  2. excessively concerned about one's poor health or ailments.
  3. of, pertaining to, or characterized by invalidism.
  • valetudinary + -an 1695–1705

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
valetudinarian /ˌvælɪˌtjuːdɪˈnɛərɪən/, valetudinary /ˌvælɪˈtjuːdɪnərɪ/ n ( pl -narians, -naries)
  1. a person who is or believes himself or herself to be chronically sick
  2. a person excessively worried about the state of his or her health; hypochondriac
 adj
  1. relating to, marked by, or resulting from poor health
  2. being a valetudinarian
  3. trying to return to a healthy state
Etymology: 18th Century: from Latin valētūdō state of health, from valēre to be wellˌvaleˌtudiˈnarianˌism n
'valetudinarian' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
valetudinarianism - valetudinary

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