pathological

adjective

path·o·log·i·cal ˌpa-thə-ˈlä-ji-kəl

variants or less commonly pathologic

ˌpa-thə-ˈlä-jik

: of or relating to pathology

pathological research

A pathological examination led to the diagnosis.

: altered or caused by disease

pathological changes in the body

also : indicative of disease

pathological symptoms

: being such to a degree that is extreme, excessive, or markedly abnormal

a pathological liar

pathological fear

pathologically

ˌpa-thə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Examples of pathological in a Sentence

He is a pathological liar. She has a pathological fear of heights. pathological changes in the body

Recent Examples on the Web Narcissistic personality disorder is a subtype of pathological narcissism in which someone has persistent, long-term issues. —

Diana Kwon, Scientific American, 15 Aug. 2023 Editor’s picks Only now Aster has now made something that completely dissolves the line between comedy and horror, the personal and the pathological. —

David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2023 Dear Abby: My father is a narcissist and pathological liar who all his life has taken advantage of people. —

Abigail Van Buren, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023 My father is a narcissist and pathological liar who all his life has taken advantage of people. —

Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 12 Sep. 2023 Prolonged grief syndrome, a diagnosis that was recently added to the manual psychiatrists use to treat patients, proposes that there is a pathological level of grief that should be and can be treated by professionals. —

Emmett Lindner, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2023 By the time President Joe Biden took office, the Washington Post had cataloged a decidedly pathological 30,000 false or misleading claims uttered by his predecessor. —

Dell Cameron, WIRED, 25 Aug. 2023 Types of Ovarian Cysts Ovarian cysts can be pathological or functional. —

Colleen Murphy, Health, 18 Aug. 2023 This process has implications for various physiological and pathological processes where cell motility is crucial, such as wound healing, tissue regeneration, and cancer metastasis [15]. —

The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pathological.' 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

New Latin pathologicus "of the study of the passions, of the study of diseases" (borrowed from Greek pathologikós, from patho- patho- + -logikos, from -logia -logy + -ikos -ic entry 1) + -al entry 1