syndrome

American  

[sin-drohm, -druhm] / ˈsɪn droʊm, -drəm /

noun

1. Pathology, Psychiatry. a group of symptoms that together are characteristic of a specific disorder, disease, or the like.

2. a group of related or coincident things, events, actions, etc.

3. the pattern of symptoms that characterize or indicate a particular social condition.

4. a predictable, characteristic pattern of behavior, action, etc., that tends to occur under certain circumstances.

   the retirement syndrome of endless golf and bridge games; the feast-or-famine syndrome of big business.

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syndrome British  

/ sɪnˈdrɒmɪk, ˈsɪndrəʊm /

noun

1. med any combination of signs and symptoms that are indicative of a particular disease or disorder

2. a symptom, characteristic, or set of symptoms or characteristics indicating the existence of a condition, problem, etc

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syndrome Scientific  

/ sĭn′drōm′ /

1. An abnormal condition or disease that is identified by an established group of signs and symptoms.

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syndrome Cultural  

1. A set of signs and symptoms that appear together and characterize a disease or medical condition. AIDS is an example of a syndrome.

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Discover More

A collection of attitudes or behaviors that go together is often called a syndrome.

Other Word Forms

• syndromic adjective

Etymology

Origin of syndrome

1535–45; < New Latin < Greek syndromḗ concurrence, combination, equivalent to syn- syn- + drom-, base meaning “run” ( -drome ) + -ē feminine noun suffix

Example Sentences

Some cases involved vanishing bile duct syndrome, a liver condition characterized by the progressive destruction of bile ducts in the liver, the agency said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Darren also campaigns to raise awareness of Sophia's condition, Sanfilippo syndrome.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Dion discussed her battle with stiff-person syndrome in her 2024 documentary, “I Am: Celine Dion.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Otherwise known as red skin syndrome, TSW is still so under-researched that some GPs and dermatologists struggle to diagnose or treat it.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

She leans down, handing her baby with Down syndrome chunky plastic blocks from the toy basket.

From "Rules" by Cynthia Lord

Related Words

• ailment
• disorder
• malady
• problem
• sickness