sclerotic

American  

[skli-rot-ik] / sklɪˈrɒt ɪk /

adjective

1. Anatomy. Also of or relating to the sclera.

2. Pathology, Botany. pertaining to or affected with sclerosis.

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sclerotic British  

/ sklɪəˈrɒtɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the sclera

2. of, relating to, or having sclerosis

3. botany characterized by the hardening and strengthening of cell walls

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noun

1. another name for sclera

Other Word Forms

• subsclerotic
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of sclerotic

1535–45; < New Latin sclērōticus of hardening, equivalent to Greek sklērṓt ( ēs ) hardness (derivative of sklērós hard; see sclero-) + New Latin -icus -ic

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sclerotic

You hardly need reminding of the backdrop that contributed to thwarting many of his recent, many predecessors: a persistently sclerotic economy and a persistently turbulent international picture, for starters.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

And there’s something appealing about an outsider crashing City Hall, which is way too beholden to sclerotic lifers who can be as clueless about what the city needs as Pratt turned out to be.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

Meanwhile, with very poor demographics and a sclerotic economy, Japan is less likely to grow its way out of its debt problem than the U.S.

From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026

“I think political institutions become very sclerotic and very consensus-orientated, and you have to be very careful of political consensus,” Mr. Rees-Mogg says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

Wade looked at his pompous red face and into his eyes with their yellowish sclerotic, and choked back the recrimination he had intended.

From King Spruce, A Novel by Holman Day

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