pathologize

verb

pa·​thol·​o·​gize pə-ˈthä-lə-ˌjīz 

pathologized; pathologizing

transitive verb

: to view or characterize as medically or psychologically abnormal

… we ought not to pathologize children who have … different ways of thinking and learning.

—Thomas Armstrong

Examples of pathologize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The truth is that many of the very traits pathologized in ADHD, such as impulsivity, paying attention off topic, and free association, can become powerful assets when recognized and harnessed. —Alison Escalante, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Advertisement The rush to pathologize violence also reinforces stigma. —Victor Petreca, Time, 21 Aug. 2025

Glass + One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Institutional spaces become battlegrounds of belief in these chamber dramas where power, perception, and dissent are pathologized. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 29 July 2025

As a result, providing ways to manage these feelings without misusing drugs—and without pathologizing those with outlying traits—can be a powerful way to support healthy development. —Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 7 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

pathology + -ize

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pathologize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

Medical Definition

pathologize

transitive verb

pa·​thol·​o·​gize

variants or chiefly British pathologise

-ˌjīz

pathologized or chiefly British pathologised; pathologizing or chiefly British pathologising

: to view or characterize as medically or psychologically abnormal

natural hormonal shifts have been pathologized

—Joyce C. Mills

pathologizing childhood behavior

—Ruth Shalit

pathologization noun

or chiefly British pathologisation

pə-ˌthäl-ə-jə-ˈzā-shən