gender dysphoria
noun
: a distressed state arising from conflict between a person's gender identity and the sex the person was identified as having at birth
I am a 24-year-old transgender woman, and I know gender dysphoria very well. My distress over my physical body, my feeling that it doesn't always match up with my gender identity, often lurks in some far corner of my mind. It doesn't matter how well I'm dressed, how much I brush my hair, how many compliments I receive, or how well my hormone therapy treatment is working. When gender dysphoria hits, it packs a punch.—
Serena Sonoma
Serena Sonoma
also
: a condition marked by such distress
The treatment for gender dysphoria is often multi-disciplinary, combining the efforts of several behavioral health and medical professionals. … Non-operative treatment focuses on implementing psychosocial therapy and/or medical management with hormone replacement therapy. Operative treatments range from small cosmetic procedures to much larger genital transformation surgeries. —Danyon Anderson et al.
compare gender euphoria
Danyon Anderson et al. Examples of gender dysphoria in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Minors can still access hormones and puberty blockers for medical purposes, as long as those treatments are not being used as part of a gender transition or to alleviate gender dysphoria.
—Orion Rummler, Them, 31 Oct. 2024
According to the Justice Department, Tennessee is one of 22 states that have passed measures targeting medical interventions for adolescents with gender dysphoria.
—Reuters, NBC News, 21 Oct. 2024
For some trans people, their voice is a source of gender dysphoria.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2024
In addition to the laws barring treatments for minors experiencing gender dysphoria, states have prohibited transgender girls from playing on female sports teams.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gender dysphoria 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Orion Rummler, Them, 31 Oct. 2024
According to the Justice Department, Tennessee is one of 22 states that have passed measures targeting medical interventions for adolescents with gender dysphoria.
—Reuters, NBC News, 21 Oct. 2024
For some trans people, their voice is a source of gender dysphoria.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2024
In addition to the laws barring treatments for minors experiencing gender dysphoria, states have prohibited transgender girls from playing on female sports teams.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gender dysphoria
Articles Related to gender dysphoria
Dictionary Entries Near gender dysphoria
Cite this Entry
“Gender dysphoria.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender%20dysphoria. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
gender dysphoria
noun
: a distressed state arising from conflict between a person's gender identity and the sex the person was identified as having at birth
Nonbinary people may or may not use medical approaches to align their identities and physical bodies, and, like transgender people, some nonbinary people experience gender dysphoria while others do not.—Elizabeth Kukura, Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics
Elizabeth Kukura, Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics
also
: a condition marked by such distress
Scientists have no conclusive explanation for what causes some people to feel dissonance between their gender identity and aspects of their anatomy. In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association updated its manual, replacing the term "gender identity disorder," with one that is less stigmatizing, "gender dysphoria." —The New York Times
compare gender euphoria
The New York Times Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share