What does pathologic mean?
Pathologic is an adjective meaning relating to disease, caused by disease, or characteristic of an abnormal disease process. It is often used in medicine to identify structural or functional changes that depart from healthy tissue or normal bodily functioning. Phrases such as “pathological condition” are especially common. In less technical contexts, the adjective can describe conduct that is extreme, irrational, or persistently excessive, often with the implication that it cannot be explained by ordinary circumstances. Such figurative uses can carry a strong negative or stigmatizing tone, particularly when applied to a person's character or behaviour. American English commonly uses the shorter form “pathologic,” while British English more often uses “pathological.” Although the two forms share the same meaning, “pathological” is also the more frequent everyday choice across varieties of English.
adjectiveRelating to disease or disease processes; characteristic of or caused by a disease. In extended figurative use, excessively abnormal, extreme, or persistently irrational.
- Relating to disease or to the processes by which disease occurs.
- Characteristic of or caused by a disease.
- So extreme or persistently irrational as to resemble a clinical disorder.
"The scan revealed a pathological condition affecting the tissue."
"Her research focuses on the pathological changes associated with the disease."
"The novel presents pathological jealousy as a destructive force in the family."
Pathologic can describe both a medically abnormal condition and an extreme behaviour that seems detached from ordinary human limits.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pathologic come from?
The word entered English in the nineteenth century from the Greek pathologikos, an adjective associated with pathos, meaning suffering or disease, and the suffix -logos, referring to study or discourse. It developed alongside the established medical term “pathology,” with which it remains closely related. English eventually adopted both the shorter form “pathologic” and the extended form “pathological,” which is more prevalent in British usage.
Related word forms
How pathologic is actually used
The form is especially common in American English; British usage generally favors the longer variant “pathological.” In clinical settings, the term is technical, but its figurative use can sound strongly judgmental, so it is often avoided when describing a person's behaviour.
Easily confused with pathologic
Pathogenic describes something capable of causing disease, whereas pathologic relates to disease or disease processes more generally.
Pathology is the branch of medicine concerned with the causes and nature of disease, while pathologic is an adjective relating to disease.