encephalopathy

noun

en·​ceph·​a·​lop·​a·​thy in-ˌse-fə-ˈlä-pə-thē 

plural encephalopathies

: a disease of the brain

especially : one involving alterations of brain structure

encephalopathic

in-ˌse-fə-lə-ˈpa-thik 

adjective

Examples of encephalopathy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kalani has hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, a form of brain injury that affects muscle tone and mobility. — Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2026

Bausch was working on a treatment for hepatic encephalopathy, a condition where toxins build up in the blood, hurting brain function, in patients with liver disease. — Christina Cheddar Berk,liz Napolitano, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2026

Gentry said kids with severe forms of autism were paid for encephalopathy until the government revised the definition in the mid-1990s. — Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025

Last flu season, dozens of children were diagnosed with acute necrotizing encephalopathy, a complication from the flu that causes brain damage and can hamper a child’s development. — Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing encephalopathy

• bovine spongiform encephalopathy
• chronic traumatic encephalopathy
• spongiform encephalopathy
• transmissible spongiform encephalopathy

Rhymes for encephalopathy

• cardiomyopathy
• coagulopathy
• homoeopathy
• polyneuropathy
• radiculopathy
• enteropathy
• myelopathy
• retinopathy
• myopathy
• psychopathy

Medical Definition

encephalopathy

noun

en·​ceph·​a·​lop·​a·​thy in-ˌsef-ə-ˈläp-ə-thē 

plural encephalopathies

: a disease of the brain

especially : one involving alterations of brain structure

encephalopathic

-lə-ˈpath-ik 

adjective