hypertrophy

1 of 2

noun

hy·​per·​tro·​phy hī-ˈpər-trə-fē How to pronounce hypertrophy (audio)
plural hypertrophies
1
biology : excessive development of an organ or part
specifically : increase in bulk (as by thickening of muscle fibers) without multiplication of parts
cardiac hypertrophy
2
: exaggerated growth or complexity
economic hypertrophy
hypertrophic adjective

hypertrophy

2 of 2

verb

hypertrophied; hypertrophying

intransitive verb

: to undergo hypertrophy (see hypertrophy entry 1)
A healthy kidney hypertrophies when the other fails.
hypertrophied nationalism

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Breaking Down Hypertrophy

When the prefix hyper-, "above, beyond", is joined to -trophy, we get the opposite of atrophy. An organ or part becomes hypertrophic when it grows so extremely that its function is affected. Muscle hypertrophy is common in men who do strength training, and is often harmless; but extreme muscle hypertrophy generally involves taking steroids, which can do great damage to the body. Hypertrophy of the heart sounds as if it might be healthy, but instead it's usually a bad sign. Hypertrophy, like atrophy, can be used in nonmedical ways as well to describe something with exaggerated growth or complexity.

Examples of hypertrophy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Resistance exercise improves muscular strength, endurance and the power and the size of muscles – what exercise physiologists call muscle hypertrophy. Randal Claytor, Discover Magazine, 30 Dec. 2023 The dumbbell shoulder press is a great exercise to include in your usual strength training or hypertrophy (muscle building) sessions, says Williams. Jenny McCoy, SELF, 5 Dec. 2023 The most common postmortem findings among the athletes either found no specific reason for the sudden cardiac arrest or found that idiopathic left ventricular hypertrophy (the thickening of the heart's left pumping chamber) or possible cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle) were to blame. Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 The dumbbell deadlift is a great move to weave into your usual strength training and hypertrophy or muscle-building sessions, says Williams. Jenny McCoy, SELF, 6 Nov. 2023 Furthermore, zinc plays an essential role in muscle growth and repair, and zinc supplementation can, according to one study, promote muscle hypertrophy and strength gains in both athletes and non-athletes [6]. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 Oct. 2023 Those in pursuit of chest hypertrophy, often bodybuilders, arch their backs only slightly, keeping a flatter torso. Brett Williams, Men's Health, 11 Jan. 2023 Here, barbells were the star, and hypertrophy—a.k.a. muscle growth—was the goal. Liz Plosser, Women's Health, 30 Aug. 2023 Don’t Cold Shower After a Workout If the goal of your workout is hypertrophy, or building muscle, skip the cold water right after your pump session. Sean Evans, Robb Report, 29 Aug. 2023
Verb
How to transition from strength to hypertrophy training? Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 12 Oct. 2022 Plus, of course, using weights as resistance helps to increase muscle activation and stabilization, leading to overload and hypertrophy. Jeff Tomko, Men's Health, 10 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hypertrophy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

probably from New Latin hypertrophia, from hyper- + -trophia -trophy

First Known Use

Noun

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hypertrophy was in 1834

Dictionary Entries Near hypertrophy

Cite this Entry

“Hypertrophy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypertrophy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

hypertrophy

1 of 2 noun
hy·​per·​tro·​phy hī-ˈpər-trə-fē How to pronounce hypertrophy (audio)
plural hypertrophies
: excessive development of an organ or part
specifically : increase in bulk (as by thickening of muscle fibers) without multiplication of parts
ventricular hypertrophy

hypertrophy

2 of 2 intransitive verb
hypertrophied; hypertrophying
: to undergo hypertrophy

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