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Synonyms

atrophied

American  
[a-truh-feed] / ˈæ trə fid /

adjective

  1. exhibiting or affected with atrophy; wasted; withered; shriveled.

    an atrophied arm; an atrophied talent.


Other Word Forms

  • nonatrophied adjective
  • unatrophied adjective

Etymology

Origin of atrophied

First recorded in 1590–1600; atrophy + -ed 2

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.

“It’s like a muscle that maybe has atrophied a little bit over the years,” Gould said in his interview with the Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

“Although his boss had to pretend to embrace the family-friendly nature of the town whose newspaper he ran,” Roman observes, “privately he was a man with a heart as atrophied as his calf muscles.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2024

Social skills and conversational ease have stiffened and atrophied.

From New York Times • May 14, 2024

Because the violin is much lighter than the viola, my atrophied arm muscles were able to hold it.

From Salon • Nov. 5, 2023

The compression stockings were more comfortable than the bandages had been, and Sasha’s atrophied leg muscles had regained their strength.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater