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
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
6 July 2026
Madden died in 2014 from complications of myelodysplastic syndrome.
—
Will Harris,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 July 2026
Chevalier, who is also the mother of a daughter with Down syndrome, added that Gudiel's curriculum fills an important gap.
—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
5 July 2026
Abigail Bailey spent most of her life thinking Tourette syndrome had taken away her future.
—
Gabby Sartori,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for syndrome
Cite this Entry
“Syndrome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/syndrome. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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syndrome
noun
