oncology

noun

on·​col·​o·​gy än-ˈkä-lə-jē 

äŋ-

: a branch of medicine concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and study of cancer

oncological

ˌäŋ-kə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

adjective

or oncologic

ˌäŋ-kə-ˈlä-jik 

oncologist

än-ˈkä-lə-jist 

äŋ-

noun

Examples of oncology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An umbrella review of global nurse burnout research found oncology nurses reporting the highest depersonalization rates of any specialty studied. — Annette Logan-Parker, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Murray rocked a royal rewear of his Prince Charming costume from the teen rom com, escorting his wife Sarah Roemer to a prom at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County oncology department. — Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2026

Fertility centers experienced in oncology cases can move quickly, often getting patients through an egg-retrieval cycle and back to their oncology team before their full staging workup is even complete and their treatment plan in place. — Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, 29 Oct. 2026

Before that, Economides served as CFO and chief business officer of CellCentric, a clinical-stage oncology company. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

onco- + -logy

First Known Use

circa 1857, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for oncology

• anthology
• apology
• astrology
• biology
• christology
• chronology
• conchology
• cosmology
• cryptology
• cytology
• doxology
• ecology

Kids Definition

oncology

noun

on·​col·​o·​gy än-ˈkäl-ə-jē 

: a branch of medicine concerned with the study and treatment of tumors

Medical Definition

oncology

noun

on·​col·​o·​gy än-ˈkäl-ə-jē, äŋ- 

plural oncologies

: a branch of medicine concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and study of cancer

oncological

ˌäŋ-kə-ˈläj-i-kəl 

adjective

also oncologic

-ik