symptomatic
adjective
symp·tom·at·ic
ˌsim(p)-tə-ˈma-tik 
1
a
: being a symptom of a disease
b
: having the characteristics of a particular disease but arising from another cause
symptomatic epilepsy resulting from brain damage
2
: concerned with, affecting, or having symptoms
symptomatic treatment
a symptomatic patient
3
: characteristic, indicative
his behavior was symptomatic of his character
Examples of symptomatic in a Sentence
a fever's refusal to respond to antibiotics is symptomatic of a viral infection
Recent Examples on the Web
The novelist Harold Brodkey witnessed a symptomatic scene.
—
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Apart from the rare individual that survives and develops immunity, symptomatic deer will succumb to EHD within 36 hours.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 2025
The proliferation of new bike lanes, Taleb argued, is symptomatic of a political system that favors visible, immediate, and consumer-friendly projects.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025
In babies aged five to eight months who developed symptomatic RSV, 26 percent of those who had received a low dose of the vaccine developed a severe case of RSV, compared with 8 percent of those who received the placebo.
—Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for symptomatic
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Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Apart from the rare individual that survives and develops immunity, symptomatic deer will succumb to EHD within 36 hours.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 2025
The proliferation of new bike lanes, Taleb argued, is symptomatic of a political system that favors visible, immediate, and consumer-friendly projects.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025
In babies aged five to eight months who developed symptomatic RSV, 26 percent of those who had received a low dose of the vaccine developed a severe case of RSV, compared with 8 percent of those who received the placebo.
—Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for symptomatic
Cite this Entry
“Symptomatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symptomatic. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
symptomatic
adjective
symp·tom·at·ic
ˌsim(p)-tə-ˈmat-ik
1
a
: being a symptom (as of disease)
an itchy skin rash is symptomatic of poison ivy
b
: concerned with, affecting, or having symptoms
a symptomatic patient
2
: showing a quality or identity : characteristic
Medical Definition
symptomatic
adjective
symp·tom·at·ic
ˌsim(p)-tə-ˈmat-ik
1
a
: being a symptom of a disease
gummas symptomatic of syphilis
b
: having the characteristics of a particular disease but arising from another cause
symptomatic epilepsy resulting from brain damage
2
: concerned with or affecting symptoms
symptomatic treatment
3
: having symptoms
a symptomatic patient
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