idiopathic
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of idiopathic
Explanation
When your doctor isn't sure why you're sick, she might describe your illness as idiopathic, doctor-speak for "of unknown causes." The medical term idiopathic comes from Greek roots: idios, or "one's own," and pathos, "suffering" or "disease." The literal meaning is something like "a disease of its own," or an illness that isn't connected to any particular cause. This is often the diagnosis doctors end up with after ruling out a lot of known conditions or diseases, and it's an official-sounding way for a medical professional to say "I don't know why you're sick."
Vocabulary lists containing idiopathic
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
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Disability Visibility
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Where Only Storms Grow
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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.
In a study published in Nature Biotechnology, researchers evaluated Insilico’s investigational drug—known as rentosertib—for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an age-related lung disease.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
It’s acquiring Centessa Pharmaceuticals, which is working on orexin receptor 2 agonists for conditions like narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia — forms of daytime sleepiness.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 31, 2026
The company reported that the Tyvaso trial, TETON-1, showed a magnitude of improvement in treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF, when compared with the first Phase 3 trial.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
Joel noted that the condition is idiopathic, meaning no one knows the cause.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025
I once Googled “excessive blushing” and found out there’s a terrifying name for my condition: idiopathic craniofacial erythema.
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
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.
