syndrome

noun

syn·drome | \ ˈsin-ˌdrōm also -drəm

Definition of syndrome

1 : a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular abnormality or condition

2 : a set of concurrent things (such as emotions or actions) that usually form an identifiable pattern

Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about syndrome

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Did You Know?

Combining its two Greek roots, syndrome means basically "running together". So when diagnosing a condition or disease, doctors tend to look for a group of symptoms existing together. As long as a set of symptoms remains mysterious, it may be referred to as a specific syndrome. But if that name is used for a while, it may become the condition's permanent name, even after an underlying cause has been found. So today we have Down syndrome, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, Asperger's syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, Tourette's syndrome, sick building syndrome, and many more. And since mental conditions often turn out to have physical causes, syndrome is used in psychology as well as in medicine.

Examples of syndrome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tu Le, 63, was diagnosed in January 2018 with a form of blood cancer known as myelodysplastic syndrome. — Gwendolyn Wu, SFChronicle.com, "San Jose man’s Vietnamese brothers granted visas for life-saving transplant," 18 June 2019 Today, more babies are born in Scioto County suffering from the opioid withdrawal condition known as neonatal abstinence syndrome than anywhere else in the state. — Dan Levin, New York Times, "Inside the Elementary School Where Drug Addiction Sets the Curriculum," 12 June 2019 Nhar suffered from an eye condition known as Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome, according to the paper. — Stephen Sorace, Fox News, "Former inmate blinded in prison settles for $2.6M plus cash for house," 24 Aug. 2018 Pseudogymnoascus destructans, a fungus that causes the fatal illness known as white-nose syndrome, has killed more than 90 percent of these bats in some parts of North America, making the nocturnal animal hard to find. — Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, "A mysterious disease is killing millions of bats. These scientists are trying to save them.," 12 July 2018 Parsons is also hopeful that center back Emily Menges, who has missed the entire season due to what has been classified as right tibia stress syndrome, will be able to see minutes in the game. — Jamie Goldberg, OregonLive.com, "Portland Thorns focused on snapping winless streak against Orlando Pride," 11 May 2018 About 1 percent of the population has what’s known as advanced sleep phase syndrome. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "Why being a night owl may lead to earlier death," 27 Apr. 2018 These hormones can lead to mood swings, nausea, and abdominal pain; a slight chance of the serious condition known as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome; and an unknown risk of ovarian or breast cancer down the road. — Robin Marantz Henig, WIRED, "Women May Have an Alternative to Freezing Their Eggs," 27 Mar. 2018 In rare cases, the emotional toll of a breakup can cause cardiac abnormalities known as broken heart syndrome. — Blake Bakkila, Health.com, "7 Things You Need to Know to Survive a Breakup," 9 Feb. 2018

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