diagnosis

American  

[dahy-uhg-noh-sis] / ˌdaɪ əgˈnoʊ sɪs /

noun

• diagnoses
  plural

1. Medicine/Medical.

   1. the process of determining by examination the nature and circumstances of a diseased condition.

   2. the decision reached from such an examination. Dx

2. Biology. scientific determination; a description that classifies a group or taxon precisely.

3. a determining or analysis of the cause or nature of a problem or situation.

4. an answer or solution to a problematic situation.

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diagnosis British  

/ ˌdaɪəɡˈnəʊsɪs /

noun

1. 1. the identification of diseases by the examination of symptoms and signs and by other investigations

   2. an opinion or conclusion so reached

2. 1. thorough analysis of facts or problems in order to gain understanding and aid future planning

   2. an opinion or conclusion reached through such analysis

3. a detailed description of an organism, esp a plant, for the purpose of classification

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diagnosis Scientific  

/ dī′əg-nō′sĭs /

• diagnoses
  plural

1. The identification by a medical provider of a condition, disease, or injury made by evaluating the symptoms and signs presented by a patient.

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Usage

Plural word for diagnosis The plural form of diagnosis is diagnoses, pronounced [ dahy-uhg-noh-seez ]. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -is are also formed in this way, including hypothesis/hypotheses, crisis/crises, and axis/axes. A similar change is made when pluralizing appendix as appendices. Irregular plurals that are formed like diagnoses derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin and Greek.

Commonly Confused

Although diagnosis and prognosis are both very familiar medical terms, they are sometimes used interchangeably (by nonmedical people), as if they were synonymous words. They are not. When a person is unwell and asks a doctor what is wrong with them, what they are asking for is a diagnosis. Examining the symptoms, as with a thermometer or stethoscope, and evaluating the results of a procedure such as a throat culture, blood test, or x-ray will help the doctor identify the patient’s illness. Whatever that ailment may be, the identification, or naming of it, is the diagnosis. The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was very disheartening. The diagnosis is an acute case of tendinitis. Once a patient has been given a diagnosis, the next thing they’ll want to know is what sort of an outcome they can expect, which means they want to know the prognosis. Unlike diagnoses, which are conclusively based on tangible evidence, prognoses are reasonable predictions based on past observations of similar cases. A prognosis gives the patient an idea of what to expect about the course of their illness, including the probability of recovery. As ailments range from the most superficial to the most life-threatening, it is typical for the word prognosis to be qualified by such adjectives as excellent, favorable, good, positive, negative, poor, dire, grim. Doctors will never tire of telling us, “Early detection and treatment are your best bets for a positive prognosis.” And no one wants to say, “The prognosis was so poor that he could no longer hide his condition from his family.” In nonmedical contexts, diagnosis still carries its meaning of naming or identifying something, especially when that involves a situation or problem. When our computer kept crashing, the tech said that nearby UFO activity could be the reason, so we got another tech—and a proper, earthbound diagnosis! Likewise, prognosis is used outside of medical contexts, retaining its meaning of reasonable prediction. As a lover of pesticide-free smoothies, I’m pleased to say that the prognosis for the future of organic farming has never been better.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prediagnosis
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• diagnoses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of diagnosis

First recorded in 1675–85; from New Latin, from Greek diágnōsis “a distinguishing, means or power of discernment”; see dia-, -gnosis

Explanation

When a doctor tells you why you're feeling ill, he gives you a diagnosis. He asks questions, checks your symptoms, and then identifies what's making you sick. Diagnosis is a medical term, but you can diagnose lots of things: problems in a relationship, a coming economic crisis, or the reason the car won't start. If you have a sore throat, runny nose and a bad cough, most of the time doctors will diagnose a cold. If the car won't start and the lights and radio are also off, the diagnosis is simple: your battery’s dead. Anytime you determine the cause of a problem, you give a diagnosis.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

diagnosis diagnoses

As a child of refugees from Hitler’s Germany and the descendent of a once-large family tree, many of whose branches were obliterated by the Holocaust, Mr. Moritz registered the diagnosis with mordant irony.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Some of those cancers would eventually have been found even without screening, meaning diagnosis rates should later decline as those cases shift forward in time.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

And FTD is underrecognized: Jobs and marriages are lost before there is any hint of a diagnosis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

"Getting that quick diagnosis removed weeks of anxiety," he told the BBC.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

When the diagnosis was confirmed, he was forcibly quarantined in a hastily erected tent in a marsh along the Potomac River.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Hospital chiefs in County Durham have agreed to review up to a further 4,500 breast cancer cases after failings including delayed diagnoses and unnecessary surgeries were found.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

The new study approaches the trend from another direction by asking whether the population receiving diagnoses has itself changed.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026

Patients will order these cheaper, unproven products via an 800-number or the internet, skipping appointments with real doctors who can provide accurate diagnoses and proven treatments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Patients, of course, who will order these cheaper, unproven products via an 800-number or the internet, skipping appointments with real doctors who can provide accurate diagnoses and proven treatments.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

In the pipes and under the cypress tree there had been no room for furniture and the little niceties which are not only the diagnoses but the boundaries of our civilization.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• analysis
• conclusion
• examination
• interpretation
• investigation