stig·mat·ic
stig-ˈma-tik 
plural stigmatics
: a person marked with stigmata : a person with bodily marks or pains resembling the wounds of the crucified Jesus
The monk, a "Friar G.," is a stigmatic (who bleeds with the wounds of Jesus) with a cult following in Italy.—
Joseph P. Szimhart
Joseph P. Szimhartcalled also stigmatist
1
: having or conveying a social stigma (see stigma sense 1a)
… the event is an opportunity for people to debunk the stigmatic social narrative that addiction has anything to do with morality.—Lisa Vidaurri Bowling
Lisa Vidaurri Bowling2
: of or relating to the stigma of a flower (see stigma sense 2a)
Germination of the pollen grains in the flowers … occurs only after rupture of the stigmatic surface.—Tomas Rodriguez-Riano et al.
Tomas Rodriguez-Riano et al.3
religion
: of or relating to stigmata (see stigma sense 3a)
The walls also display pictures of Audrey with priests who have visited. But most arresting is … a handkerchief stained by blood from her stigmatic wounds.—Mathew N. Schmalz
Mathew N. SchmalzExamples of stigmatic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025
Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2023
Eight, allergic to dust, asthmatic, stigmatic with mystery rashes,
balanced tiptoe on a stack
of peat briquettes
wound in butcher’s twine,
fingers smutty from
Suttons Premium Polish Coal.
—Dean Browne, The New York Review of Books, 27 May 2021
The next stop will be the home of stigmatic Rhoda Wise, where young Rita said she was healed of a debilitating stomach ailment.
—Greg Garrison, AL.com, 18 Aug. 2017
And as for that stereotype? Kiah's teammates have never seen a glimmer of her breed's stigmatic aggression.
—Sarah Schreiber, Good Housekeeping, 18 Nov. 2016
The melding of one plant’s pollen with the stigmatic apparatus of another provides the genetic variation that makes possible the magic of evolution through natural selection.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 17 Apr. 2015
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Noun
Like Forever Mine, Touch focuses on a romance, this time between a stigmatic with the mysterious power to heal (Skeet Ulrich) and an aimless record-company assistant (Bridget Fonda), but again, their flat chemistry leaves a gaping hole at the film’s center.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
The Sisters have come a long way, but never strayed from their mission: to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2023
Eight, allergic to dust, asthmatic, stigmatic with mystery rashes,
balanced tiptoe on a stack
of peat briquettes
wound in butcher’s twine,
fingers smutty from
Suttons Premium Polish Coal.
—Dean Browne, The New York Review of Books, 27 May 2021
The next stop will be the home of stigmatic Rhoda Wise, where young Rita said she was healed of a debilitating stomach ailment.
—Greg Garrison, AL.com, 18 Aug. 2017
And as for that stereotype? Kiah's teammates have never seen a glimmer of her breed's stigmatic aggression.
—Sarah Schreiber, Good Housekeeping, 18 Nov. 2016
The melding of one plant’s pollen with the stigmatic apparatus of another provides the genetic variation that makes possible the magic of evolution through natural selection.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 17 Apr. 2015
Cite this Entry
“Stigmatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stigmatic. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
stigmatic
adjective
stig·mat·ic
stig-ˈmat-ik
: anastigmatic
—used especially of a bundle of light rays intersecting at a single point
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