adjective
-
of, relating to, or having diabetes
-
for the use of diabetics
diabetic chocolate
noun
Usage
Rather than talking about a diabetic or diabetics , it is better to talk about a person with diabetes , people with diabetes
Other Word Forms
- antidiabetic adjective
- nondiabetic adjective
- undiabetic adjective
Etymology
Origin of diabetic
First recorded in 1790–1800; diabet(es) + -ic
Explanation
If you're a diabetic, you are a person who suffers from the disease of diabetes. Diabetics tend to have wildly varying blood sugar levels, which can sometimes be dangerous. A diabetic's pancreas typically doesn't produce enough insulin, the hormone in your body that metabolizes sugars and carbohydrates. The word diabetic is also an adjective that describes someone who has the illness or something associated with it. Your diabetic friend might need to monitor her blood sugar several times a day and follow a special diabetic diet. The word comes from the Greek, in which it means "excessive discharge of urine," one of the illness's symptoms.
Vocabulary lists containing diabetic
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.
Shutdowns have caused problems for diabetic children whose sensors can’t transmit glucose levels to parents and warn them in case of emergencies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026
"He died on February 14 and had been suffering for a year: he had heart problems and was diabetic," his wife told AFP.
From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026
The study, published in Microbiology Spectrum, is the first to offer a large-scale genomic analysis of E. coli taken directly from diabetic foot ulcers across multiple regions of the world.
From Science Daily • Jan. 20, 2026
Currently, many young people go undiagnosed and risk developing a life-threatening complication called diabetic ketoacidosis that needs urgent hospital treatment.
From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026
Or take medicine, even if you’re a diabetic and would die without your insulin pump.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
