symptomatic
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to a symptom or symptoms.
-
of the nature of or constituting a symptom indicative (often followed byof ).
a condition symptomatic of cholera;
a disagreement that was symptomatic of the deterioration in their relationship.
-
according to symptoms.
a symptomatic classification of disease.
adjective
-
(often foll by of) being a symptom; indicative
symptomatic of insanity
-
of or relating to a symptom or symptoms
-
according to symptoms
a symptomatic analysis of a case
Other Word Forms
- nonsymptomatic adjective
- presymptomatic adjective
- pseudosymptomatic adjective
- symptomatically adverb
- unsymptomatic adjective
- unsymptomatical adjective
- unsymptomatically adverb
Etymology
Origin of symptomatic
First recorded in 1690–1700; from Medieval Latin symptōmaticus, equivalent to Late Latin symptōmat- (stem of symptōma ) + -icus; see origin at symptom, -ic
Explanation
Anything symptomatic relates to the symptoms of a disease. If you're symptomatic, you might be sick. A symptom is a sign of a disease or illness. Symptoms of a cold include a stuffed nose and cough. So if you have a cough, you're symptomatic. Being symptomatic means you're showing symptoms of something. Sometimes you can be symptomatic and not have an illness: the doctor might not be sure why you're having headaches, for example.
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.
The question is whether that caution is traveling far enough upstream, before patients are symptomatic.
From Slate • Mar. 22, 2026
But he is symptomatic of the America in which we live.
From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026
Of course, Tudor cannot be held responsible for what happened to Kinsky, but it was symptomatic of how things have got worse on his watch.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
Grail said late Thursday that its Galleri blood test, which screens for multiple types of cancer before they become symptomatic, didn’t lead to a “statistically significant reduction” in stage 3 and 4 cancer.
From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026
Like John, he had lumps on his neck, but in Alcante’s case they were in fact symptomatic of scrofula.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
