presymptomatic
adjective
pre·symp·tom·at·ic
ˌprē-ˌsim(p)-tə-ˈma-tik 
variants
or pre-symptomatic
1
: relating to, being, or occurring before symptoms appear
presymptomatic testing
presymptomatic heart disease
pre-symptomatic transmission of a contagious disease
2
: not yet displaying symptoms of an illness or disease
a presymptomatic patient diagnosed with Huntington's disease
viral illness spread by pre-symptomatic individuals
Examples of presymptomatic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While that emphasizes the importance of early detection, people with presymptomatic Alzheimer’s can’t take these medications, so there’s only so much someone can do if they’re diagnosed before symptoms show up.
—
Jamie Ducharme, Health, 8 May 2025
But clearly the authors envision a time when presymptomatic testing will be routine.
—Laura Hercher, Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2024
Such tests are already being used in identifying candidates for clinical trials testing treatments in patients with early-stage or even presymptomatic disease, such as Eisai and Biogen's Leqembi.
—Fox News, 12 Feb. 2024
In addition, rapid tests generally have low detection sensitivity for low viral load samples, which might miss presymptomatic and asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 during the incubation phase.3
How to Take At-home COVID Tests the Right Way
Can Rapid Tests Go Bad?
—Carla Delgado, Verywell Health, 31 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for presymptomatic
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Jamie Ducharme, Health, 8 May 2025
But clearly the authors envision a time when presymptomatic testing will be routine.
—Laura Hercher, Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2024
Such tests are already being used in identifying candidates for clinical trials testing treatments in patients with early-stage or even presymptomatic disease, such as Eisai and Biogen's Leqembi.
—Fox News, 12 Feb. 2024
In addition, rapid tests generally have low detection sensitivity for low viral load samples, which might miss presymptomatic and asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 during the incubation phase.3
How to Take At-home COVID Tests the Right Way
Can Rapid Tests Go Bad?
—Carla Delgado, Verywell Health, 31 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for presymptomatic
Cite this Entry
“Presymptomatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/presymptomatic. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
presymptomatic
adjective
pre·symp·to·mat·ic
-ˌsimp-tə-ˈmat-ik
variants
or pre-symptomatic
1
: relating to, being, or occurring before symptoms appear
presymptomatic testing
presymptomatic heart disease
pre-symptomatic transmission of a contagious disease
2
: not yet displaying symptoms of an illness or disease
a presymptomatic patient diagnosed with Huntington's disease
viral illness spread by pre-symptomatic individuals
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