type 2 diabetes

noun

ˈtīp-ˈtü- 

: a common form of diabetes mellitus that develops especially in adults and most often in obese individuals and that is characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from impaired insulin utilization coupled with the body's inability to compensate with increased insulin production

called also non-insulin-dependent diabetes, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus

Examples of type 2 diabetes in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, the effects are more complex in individuals with type 2 diabetes. —Ayesha Gulzar, Verywell Health, 21 Jan. 2026

Alcohol also contributes to weight gain and can worsen blood sugar control, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes. —Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026

Additionally, a 2025 study published in JAMA — which included more than 125,000 overweight or obese people — found that nearly 47% of those with type 2 diabetes and 65% of those without diabetes stopped taking their prescribed GLP-1s within a year of starting them. —Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 20 Jan. 2026

After all, those factors are strongly linked to developing type 2 diabetes and obesity in the first place. —Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 19 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

type 2 diabetes

noun

-ˈtü- 

: diabetes mellitus of a common form that develops especially in adults and most often in obese individuals and that is characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from impaired insulin utilization coupled with the body's inability to compensate with increased insulin production

called also adult-onset diabetes, late-onset diabetes, maturity-onset diabetes, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus