syndrome
noun
Did you know?
Combining its two Greek roots, syndrome means basically "running together". So when diagnosing a condition or disease, doctors tend to look for a group of symptoms existing together. As long as a set of symptoms remains mysterious, it may be referred to as a specific syndrome. But if that name is used for a while, it may become the condition's permanent name, even after an underlying cause has been found. So today we have Down syndrome, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, Asperger's syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, Tourette's syndrome, sick building syndrome, and many more. And since mental conditions often turn out to have physical causes, syndrome is used in psychology as well as in medicine.
Examples of syndrome in a Sentence
Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Though rare, people can die from opioid withdrawal syndrome.
—Lauren Peace, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
In Ukraine, which hosted an international conference on psychedelic therapy in the treatment of post-traumatic syndromes in 2023, the number of people experiencing PTSD is thought to have risen significantly since Russia invaded in February 2022.
—Sarah Sinclair, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
This causes a serious syndrome called chronic active Epstein-Barr virus disease (CAEBV).
—Anju Goel, Verywell Health, 25 Mar. 2024
You Develop Serotonin Syndrome Serotonin syndrome is a rare reaction to antidepressants.
—Health Editorial Team, Health, 23 Mar. 2024
The new virtual institute, started last summer, is dedicated to studying post-infection syndromes and strategies to prevent and treat them.
—Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
The researchers found that symptoms of nausea, vomiting and vertigo occurred almost exclusively in the early headaches, supporting the idea that they were linked to space adaptation syndrome.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024
This concept of the syndrome was first proposed in the late 1970s, when there were optimistic predictions that the Space Shuttle might fly as often as once per week.
—Georgina Torbet, The Verge, 19 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'syndrome.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Syndrome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/syndrome. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
syndrome
noun
Medical Definition
syndrome
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on syndrome
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for syndrome
Nglish: Translation of syndrome for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of syndrome for Arabic Speakers
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