idiopathic

[id-ee-uh-path-ik]

adjective

Pathology.

1. of unknown cause, as a disease.

idiopathic

1. Relating to or being a disease having no known cause.

Other Word Forms

• idiopathically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of idiopathic¹

First recorded in 1660–70; idio- + -pathic

Example Sentences

Two years before her death, Ladd was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a disease wherein “lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Joel noted that the condition is idiopathic, meaning no one knows the cause.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Hussain died Sunday afternoon in San Francisco of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease, his family said in a statement.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The Indian classical music icon died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease, at a hospital in San Francisco, his family said in a statement.

Read more on BBC

The radio legend was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a severe respiratory illness that can make breathing very difficult.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• anonymous 
• exotic 
• foreign 
• nameless 
• new 
• remote 
• strange 
• uncharted 
• undiscovered 
• unexplained 
• unexplored 
• unfamiliar 
• unidentified 
• unnamed 
• unrecognized