diagnostic

adjective di·ag·nos·tic \ -ˈnäs-tik \

variants: or less commonly diagnostical play \-ti-kəl\

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: diagnostic in a Sentence

1 a : 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

—

diagnostically

play \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See diagnostic defined for English-language learners

See diagnostic defined for kids

Examples of diagnostic in a Sentence

Ultrasound is now widely used as a diagnostic tool.
One important diagnostic feature of this condition is a mild rash.

Recent Examples of diagnostic from the Web

Positive Cologuard results should be referred to diagnostic colonoscopy.

— ashley davidson, USA TODAY, "Why more than 70 pro golfers agreed to get screened for this deadly cancer," 12 June 2018
Doctors and psychiatrists considered homosexuality an illness, and for decades it was listed as such in the diagnostic manual of the American Psychological Association.

— crispin sartwell, WSJ, "Conversion Therapy Isn’t the Cure for ‘Toxic Masculinity’," 1 June 2018
Henry said eQHealth has also asked for extra documentation to justify behavioral analysis services for patients, including a comprehensive diagnostic report prepared by a licensed physician outlining the adverse behavior to be addressed.

— daniel chang, miamiherald, "Florida autism therapists say Medicaid payment delays harm patients and hurt business," 31 May 2018
And not all people who identify as transgender have gender dysphoria at the level of distress that requires diagnostic treatment.

— emanuella grinberg, CNN, "What is medically necessary treatment for gender-affirming health care?," 31 May 2018
The subjects underwent a bunch of diagnostic tests, including X-rays, to determine how severe their knee osteoarthritis was.

— alex hutchinson, Outside Online, "Running with Bad Knees Might Be OK After All," 25 May 2018
Now their groups are commercializing the tests, which promise to be way more sensitive than some common diagnostic techniques and deliver results in hours, all remarkably inexpensively.

— wired.com staff, WIRED, "WIRED’S Predictions for Bots, Blockchains, Crispr, and More," 22 May 2018
The problems that emerged in the early 1980s were of a predictive or diagnostic nature.

— kevin hartnett, The Atlantic, "How a Pioneer of Machine Learning Became One of Its Sharpest Critics," 19 May 2018
At Boerner, Morrisey with UW-Extension and Master Gardener Volunteers also provided plant diagnostic services and educational programs for the public.

— joanne kempinger demski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Educating fellow gardeners was her mission at UW-Extension," 15 Feb. 2018

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.

First Known Use of diagnostic

1625

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Medicine Terms

analgesia, angina, diabetes, hepatitis, homeopathy, logorrhea, palliate, pandemic

diagnostic

noun

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

2 : a distinguishing mark

—

diagnostician

play \-(ˌ)näs-ˈti-shən\ noun

Examples of diagnostic in a Sentence

the thesis that moral decline is the infallible diagnostic of a decadent society

Recent Examples of diagnostic from the Web

The team of 18 researchers from multiple universities was led by Stephen Quake of Stanford University, a pioneer in genomic diagnostics and in developing new approaches to biological measurement.

— maria puente, USA TODAY, "Could there be a cheap blood test to predict a baby's birth date? New study suggests maybe," 7 June 2018
The new mobility center at Norton Healthcare uses virtual reality tech with cameras and motion sensors to aid in rehab and diagnostics for patients.

— emma austin, The Courier-Journal, "Kids make strides using new technology at Norton Healthcare," 7 June 2018
The health-care fund has invested in Indian hospitals, Kenyan clinics and a diagnostics business in Pakistan, fund documents show.

— nicolas parasie, WSJ, "TPG in Talks to Take Over Abraaj Group’s $1 Billion Health-Care Fund," 22 May 2018
In the medical field, physicians are constructing new offices, building out existing space and adding new equipment and technologies to support diagnostics.

— mary shanklin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Lenders see diverse Orlando landscape," 26 Jan. 2018
ProHealth provides medical and radiation oncology, cardiac diagnostics, physical and occupational therapy, sports medicine, diagnostic imaging, mammography and laboratory services in Mukwonago.

— guy boulton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "ProHealth Care plans to build a new $55 million hospital in Mukwonago," 16 May 2018
And unlike older models, which leave riders guessing how much gas is in the tank, the Svartpilen shares that information, along with your mileage and engine diagnostics, on one centralized, digital round dial.

— hannah elliott, Bloomberg.com, "An Entry-Level Swedish Motorcycle Aims to Be Your First Love," 25 Apr. 2018
In addition, the cause of 20 percent to 30 percent of colds still remains unidentified, despite advances in molecular diagnostics.

— richard klasco, m.d., New York Times, "Can I Catch the Same Cold Twice?," 9 Mar. 2018
Holmes came to Conservation X Labs from medical diagnostics development, a field that typically has higher budgets, larger teams, and longer timelines from conception to approval.

— virginia gewin, The Atlantic, "A Handheld DNA Scanner Could Crack Down on Wildlife Identity Theft," 9 Feb. 2018