overgroom
Preen too much
To overgroom is to groom excessively.
Animals that overgroom lick, scratch, or pull at their fur compulsively, often creating bald patches or skin irritation: The stressed cat had overgroomed her belly raw.
Applied to humans, it suggests obsessive attention to appearance or, in social contexts, excessive curation—someone who overgrooms their online presence controls every detail to the point of seeming inauthentic.
Consumed by fixation
- compulsiveUnable to stop oneself
- repetitiveMarked by recurrence
- pickingAct of selecting
- pluckingRemoving by tugging
licking · scratching · pulling · nibbling · self-soothing · habit · ritual · trichotillomania
Pressure, mental or vocal
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- worryTroubled mental state
- tensionStretched or strained state
- uneaseMild persistent worry
restlessness · hypervigilance · apprehension · insecurity · boredom · frustration · confinement · understimulation
Areas lacking hair
- hair lossDiminishing scalp coverage
- skin irritationInflamed epidermal condition
- lesionsAreas of damaged tissue
- rawnessUnrefined or exposed state
redness · thinning · alopecia · dermatitis · sores · scabs · inflammation · hotspots
Relating to conduct
- felineOf or like cats
- canineOf or like dogs
- parrotSpeech-mimicking tropical bird
- excessive lickingToo much tongue contact
medication · intervention · diagnosis · treatment · underlying · chronic
obsessive
Consumed by fixation
- compulsiveUnable to stop oneself
- repetitiveMarked by recurrence
- pickingAct of selecting
plucking · licking · scratching · pulling · nibbling · self-soothing · habit · ritual · trichotillomania · excoriation
stress
Pressure, mental or vocal
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- worryTroubled mental state
- tensionStretched or strained state
unease · restlessness · hypervigilance · apprehension · insecurity · boredom · frustration · confinement · understimulation · separation
bald patches
Areas lacking hair
- hair lossDiminishing scalp coverage
- skin irritationInflamed epidermal condition
- lesionsAreas of damaged tissue
rawness · redness · thinning · alopecia · dermatitis · sores · scabs · inflammation · hotspots · overplucked
behavioral
Relating to conduct
excessive licking · medication · intervention · diagnosis · treatment · underlying · chronic