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

Etymology

Origin of sclerotic

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

Example Sentences

Many of the country’s 93 million people were deeply dissatisfied with the sclerotic and often corrupt rule that characterized the 36-plus-year reign of his father.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 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

He spoke at length about the Pentagon’s top-heavy bureaucracy, its resistance to innovation, and the need for outsiders, especially from Silicon Valley, to overhaul the sclerotic weapons-procurement process.

From Slate • Jan. 15, 2025

In the Mammalia the eye is largely enclosed in the orbit, and bony plates in the sclerotic are only found in the monotremes.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 "Evangelical Church Conference" to "Fairbairn, Sir William" by Various