syndrome
noun
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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
Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
After all, this is the classic reciprocity syndrome.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2024
When patients with thoracic-outlet syndrome have a recurrence of symptoms, surgeons will often recommend simply removing the structure compressing the vein.
—Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
This is known as a post-viral syndrome, which mostly takes the form of a cough that sticks around for up to three to eight weeks.7
How To Shorten a Cold
There's a lack of research on how to shorten a cold.
—Colleen Murphy, Health, 5 Apr. 2024
These include having had chest radiation before the age of 30, or living with health conditions including Li-Fraumeni syndrome and Cowden syndrome.
—Lauren Gray, SELF, 1 Apr. 2024
This includes conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Sjögren syndrome, systemic sclerosis, polymyalgia rheumatica, mixed connective tissue disease, dermatomyositis, polymyositis, polyarteritis nodosa, or vasculitis.
—Anuradha Varanasi, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
While the syndrome itself is generally not considered fatal, only a few studies have examined the mortality rate of people who suffer from ME/CFS.
—Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Though rare, people can die from opioid withdrawal syndrome.
—Lauren Peace, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'syndrome.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Syndrome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/syndrome. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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syndrome
noun
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