Dictionary.com

decompensation

[ dee-kom-puhn-sey-shuhn ]
/ ˌdi kɒm pənˈseɪ ʃən /
Save This Word!

noun
Medicine/Medical. the inability of a diseased heart to compensate for its defect.
Psychology. a loss of ability to maintain normal or appropriate psychological defenses, sometimes resulting in depression, anxiety, or delusions.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of decompensation

First recorded in 1900–05; de- + compensation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use decompensation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for decompensation

decompensation
/ (diːˌkɒmpɛnˈseɪʃən) /

noun
pathol inability of an organ, esp the heart, to maintain its function due to overload caused by a disease
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK