sclerosis

noun

scle·ro·sis | \ sklə-ˈrō-səs

Definition of sclerosis

1 : pathological hardening of tissue especially from overgrowth of fibrous tissue or increase in interstitial tissue also : a disease characterized by sclerosis

2 : an inability or reluctance to adapt or compromise political sclerosis

Examples of sclerosis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lebanon has long been beset by corruption and political sclerosis, and the election results were widely expected. — Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, "As Lebanon chooses a new parliament, Hezbollah gains power and prime minister’s fortunes fade," 7 May 2018 So there is a kind of sclerosis of the economy at the top and fewer and fewer corporate structures controlling more and more. — Rebecca Traister, Daily Intelligencer, "How Can Democrats Connect ‘Identity Politics’ to Economics?," 1 Feb. 2018 Compounding the problem is the loss of its monopoly on Copaxone, a multiple-sclerosis drug that at one point generated half of Teva’s profits. — Jonathan Ferziger, Bloomberg.com, "Netanyahu Vows to Help Buffer Teva Workers From Turnaround Plan," 17 Dec. 2017 In a twist, Teva is also struggling because its leading brand-name drug, the multiple-sclerosis treatment Copaxone, now has generic competition. — Chad Bray, New York Times, "Teva Pharmaceuticals to Cut 25% of Jobs in Huge Reshaping," 14 Dec. 2017 Its multiple-sclerosis treatment Ocrevus, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March, is quickly gaining traction. — Noemie Bisserbe, WSJ, "Roche’s Immunotherapy Drug Tecentriq Extended Patients’ Lives in Study," 7 Dec. 2017 The combined company would have about $2 billion in yearly revenue and a pipeline including biosimilar versions of the Neupogen and Neulasta cancer-care treatments and of the Copaxone multiple-sclerosis drug, according to the companies. — Jonathan D. Rockoff And Dana Cimilluca, WSJ, "Impax Laboratories and Amneal Pharmaceuticals Agree to Merge," 17 Oct. 2017 This week, shares of Mylan surged after the agency approved its generic application to produce Copaxone, a multiple-sclerosis drug. — Charley Grant, WSJ, "The Beltway Factor Drug Shareholders Must Take Seriously," 6 Oct. 2017 Teva lost a patent-infringement case in February to protect its best-selling, branded multiple-sclerosis drug Copaxone from competition by drug manufacturers who will make lower-cost, chemically-equivalent generic versions to sell. — Linda Loyd, Philly.com, "Teva sells its specialty women's health business," 18 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sclerosis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of sclerosis was in 1846

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More Definitions for sclerosis

sclerosis

noun

English Language Learners Definition of sclerosis

medical : a disease in which soft parts inside the body (such as arteries or muscles) become hard

See the full definition for sclerosis in the English Language Learners Dictionary

sclerosis

noun

scle·ro·sis | \ sklə-ˈrō-səs

plural scleroses\-ˌsēz

Medical Definition of sclerosis

1 : a pathological condition in which a tissue has become hard and which is produced by overgrowth of fibrous tissue and other changes (as in arteriosclerosis) or by increase in interstitial tissue and other changes (as in multiple sclerosis)

— called also hardening

2 : any of various diseases characterized by sclerosis —usually used in combination — see arteriosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, myelosclerosis