dystrophy

American  

[dis-truh-fee] / ˈdɪs trə fi /

Also dystrophia

noun

1. Medicine/Medical. faulty or inadequate nutrition or development.

2. Pathology. any of a number of disorders characterized by weakening, degeneration, or abnormal development of muscle.

3. Ecology. the state of being dystrophic.

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dystrophy British  

/ dɪsˈtrɒfɪk, ˈdɪstrəfɪ, dɪˈstrəʊfɪə /

noun

1. any of various bodily disorders, characterized by wasting of tissues See also muscular dystrophy

2. ecology a condition of lake water when it is too acidic and poor in oxygen to support life, resulting from excessive humus content

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Other Word Forms

• dystrophic adjective

Etymology

Origin of dystrophy

From the New Latin word dystrophia, dating back to 1885–90. See dys-, -trophy

Example Sentences

Sarcopenia is a form of muscular dystrophy associated with aging and is a popular condition for biotech companies that harbor greater goals of reversing or slowing aging to target.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

She works with George Baker, who has congenital muscular dystrophy and says Lauren acts as his "arms and legs in an office" while he runs The Disability Union, an organisation representing thousands of disabled people.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

While the negative media play was partly justified, Duchenne muscular dystrophy has a poor prognosis.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

Examples include Huntington's disease, myotonic dystrophy, and certain forms of ALS.

From Science Daily • Jan. 9, 2026

There were tiny babies with club feet, children who had paralyzed limbs from polio, adolescents dying from muscular dystrophy.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall