diagnostic

adjective

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di·ag·nos·tic | \ ˌdī-ig-ˈnä-stik

, -əg- \

variants: or less commonly diagnostical \ ˌdī-ig-ˈnä-sti-kəl

, -əg- \

Definition of diagnostic

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : of, relating to, or used in diagnosis a diagnostic tool

b : using the methods of or yielding a diagnosis diagnostic tests

2 : serving to distinguish or identify a diagnostic feature

diagnostic

noun

Definition of diagnostic (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the art or practice of diagnosis —often used in plural

2 : a distinguishing mark

Other Words from diagnostic Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About diagnostic

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Other Words from diagnostic

Adjective

diagnostically \ ˌdī-ig-ˈnä-sti-k(ə-)lē

, -əg- \ adverb

Noun

diagnostician \ ˌdī-ig-(ˌ)nä-ˈsti-shən

, -əg- \ noun

Examples of diagnostic in a Sentence

Adjective Ultrasound is now widely used as a diagnostic tool. One important diagnostic feature of this condition is a mild rash. Noun the thesis that moral decline is the infallible diagnostic of a decadent society

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Of 21,286 diagnostic tests reported Wednesday, 243 yielded positive results — a positivity rate of 1.1%. — Kyle Davidson, Detroit Free Press, 18 June 2021 Of 42 people who got MDMA, 67% no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD 2 months after their last experimental session. — Kelly Servick, Science | AAAS, 19 May 2021 Once a transgender child has met diagnostic criteria for gender dysphoria, and after the child first shows physical changes of puberty, clinicians may recommend puberty-suppressing treatments, also known as puberty blockers. — Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2021 The condition is rare—only 2% of people meet the diagnostic criteria for DID—and women are more likely to experience it than men, NAMI says. — Korin Miller, Health.com, 20 Apr. 2021 Many studies confirm the increase is due not just to true biology, but rather broader diagnostic criteria and ASD awareness and resources. — Bayliss Wagner, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2021 Some researchers now believe the conditions are one and the same, and some Long COVID patients who have been sick at least six months meet diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS. — Jamie Ducharme, Time, 12 Apr. 2021 These impulses can manifest in serious mental health conditions like bulimia or binge eating disorder, though not everyone who experiences these urges will meet the diagnostic criteria for a specific eating disorder. — Ziba Redif, SELF, 23 Feb. 2021 Schwartz and his colleagues proposed a set of diagnostic criteria to determine which newborns were most likely to have been infected through the placenta before delivery. — Mariana Lenharo, Scientific American, 2 Feb. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Turner stands by his company’s test and attributes Curative’s rapid growth to its ability to develop a simple diagnostic, build a robust supply chain and process millions of tests as other labs were overwhelmed. — Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2021 Accurate Knowledge Of The Team’s Issues Team-building activities should only be undertaken after a thorough diagnostic that surfaces the issues the team is facing. — Expert Panel®, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2021 Doctors use a clinical diagnostic like a strep test to tell whether a patient is sick with a disease that can be treated with particular medicines. — Caroline Chen, ProPublica, 1 Sep. 2020 The company, which employs 500 people and also has offices in Houston and Rochester, Minn., is part of the cardiac diagnostic and services market that is estimated to be worth $2 billion and growing double digits each year. — Dee Depass, Star Tribune, 21 Jan. 2021 The city's contractor is performing a diagnostic to determine what repairs are needed. — Taylor Pettaway, ExpressNews.com, 14 Jan. 2021 The company already has applied to market its rapid antigen test as a diagnostic that can be used at labs. — USA Today, 24 Sep. 2020 The test is based on SHERLOCK a new diagnostic that uses CRISPR technology to detect genetic fingerprints that indicate the presence of pathogens in a sample. — Uwagbale Edward-ekpu, Quartz Africa, 13 Sep. 2020 The first is as a clinical diagnostic; the other is as a public health tool. — Caroline Chen, ProPublica, 1 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'diagnostic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.