hypertrophic

American  

[hahy-per-trof-ik, -troh-fik] / ˌhaɪ pərˈtrɒf ɪk, -ˈtroʊ fɪk /

adjective

1. (especially of an organ or tissue) abnormally enlarged or overgrown.

   The doctor’s examination revealed hypertrophic tonsils.

   Communities of zooplankton can reach enormous densities in these naturally hypertrophic habitats, and they represent an important food resource for migratory birds.

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Other Word Forms

• pseudohypertrophic adjective

Etymology

Origin of hypertrophic

hypertroph(y) ( def. ) + -ic

Example Sentences

In 1992, his son Daniel died aged 15 from the genetic heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy while playing football at home with Yorath.

From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026

Mr Webb was born with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition in which muscle tissues of the heart become thickened without an obvious cause.

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2025

Atrial fibrillation, heart failure and stroke -- hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can lead to many serious health conditions and is a major cause of sudden cardiac death in people younger than 35.

From Science Daily • Nov. 1, 2023

Viewers who give in to the film's schmaltziness will appreciate "A Man Called Otto," which even includes a joke at the irony of Otto's hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic enlargement of the heart.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2023

It is a question still to be answered whether the rare conditions of pyloric spasm and pyloric hypertrophic stenosis are not further developments of the same disturbance.

From The Nervous Child by Cameron, Hector Charles