arthritic
Americanadjective
-
relating to, having, or experiencing arthritis.
-
creaky, slow-moving, misshapen, etc., as if affected with arthritis: The road was overhung with what looked like arthritic trees, warped and bent to the whims of the wind.
The next few days passed at the speed of an arthritic tortoise.
The road was overhung with what looked like arthritic trees, warped and bent to the whims of the wind.
noun
Other Word Forms
- antiarthritic adjective
- arthritically adverb
- postarthritic adjective
Etymology
Origin of arthritic
First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin arthrīticus, from Greek arthrītikós; replacing Middle English artetik, from Old French artetique, from Latin, as above; see arthr-, -itic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Vonn had retired in 2019, her body battered by repeated crashes, her right knee arthritic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
“This is like a big bon voyage to my old arthritic hip,” he told O’Brien.
From Salon • Nov. 4, 2025
He retired afterward because of an arthritic left elbow.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2024
Q: Recently a reader extolled the virtues of fish oil for his arthritic knees.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 25, 2023
“That’s how it’s done,” Ma said as I helped her down the synagogue stairs, her arthritic knees aching in the damp weather.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
