pathological

Also path·o·log·ic

[path-uh-loj-i-kuhl]

adjective

1. of or relating to pathology, or the science or study of diseases and their causes.

   Research into the pathological origins of alcoholism is ongoing.

2. caused by, indicative of, or involving disease.

   Her white blood cell count had fallen to a pathological level.

3. caused by or evidencing a mentally disturbed condition.

   He is a pathological hoarder.

   They show a pathological lack of concern for the suffering of others.

4. dealing with diseases.

   The neurologist kept a pathological casebook from her practice as a source of examples for lectures.

5. Mathematics.,  designating a phenomenon or object, such as a function, that is logically and correctly defined but has counterintuitive or paradoxical properties.

6. Computers.,  relating to or producing a failed outcome or one that is contrary to what was intended or expected.

   This is just an example of what happens when the algorithm encounters pathological data.

   A pathological input shouldn't break the algorithm.

pathological

/ ˌpæθəˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to pathology

2. relating to, involving, or caused by disease

3. informal,  compulsively motivated

   a pathological liar

Other Word Forms

• pathologically adverb
• nonpathologic adjective
• nonpathological adjective
• nonpathologically adverb
• postpathologic adjective
• postpathological adjective
• semipathologic adjective
• semipathological adjective
• semipathologically adverb
• unpathological adjective
• unpathologically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of pathological¹

First recorded in 1680–90; from Greek pathologik(ós) ( pathology, -ic ) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

It’s a reminder that what often looks like dominance in the global economy may instead be symptomatic of a pathological codependence.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The study appears in Molecular Psychiatry under the title "Defective Hoxb8 microglia are causative for both chronic anxiety and pathological overgrooming in mice."

Read more on Science Daily

How did a glass eye explain, in a competitive swimmer, a pathological fear of deep water—the terror of not knowing what lurked beneath him?

Read more on Literature

Rowan "presents completely differently to Holly" and has pathological demand avoidance which means his "nervous system's response to any demand is to see it as a threat".

Read more on BBC

"We already knew the amygdala was involved in anxiety and fear, but now we've identified a specific population of neurons whose imbalanced activity alone is sufficient to trigger pathological behaviors," explains Lerma.

Read more on Science Daily