syndrome

American  

[sin-drohm, -druhm] / ˈsɪn droʊm, -drəm /

noun

1. Pathology, Psychiatry. a group of symptoms that together are characteristic of a specific disorder, disease, or the like.

2. a group of related or coincident things, events, actions, etc.

3. the pattern of symptoms that characterize or indicate a particular social condition.

4. a predictable, characteristic pattern of behavior, action, etc., that tends to occur under certain circumstances.

   the retirement syndrome of endless golf and bridge games; the feast-or-famine syndrome of big business.

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syndrome British  

/ sɪnˈdrɒmɪk, ˈsɪndrəʊm /

noun

1. med any combination of signs and symptoms that are indicative of a particular disease or disorder

2. a symptom, characteristic, or set of symptoms or characteristics indicating the existence of a condition, problem, etc

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syndrome Scientific  

/ sĭn′drōm′ /

1. An abnormal condition or disease that is identified by an established group of signs and symptoms.

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syndrome Cultural  

1. A set of signs and symptoms that appear together and characterize a disease or medical condition. AIDS is an example of a syndrome.

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Discover More

A collection of attitudes or behaviors that go together is often called a syndrome.

Other Word Forms

• syndromic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of syndrome

1535–45; < New Latin < Greek syndromḗ concurrence, combination, equivalent to syn- syn- + drom-, base meaning “run” ( see -drome) + -ē feminine noun suffix

Explanation

When you and your friends hang out together, you call it a party. When symptoms of an illness hang out together, they call it a syndrome. If you receive an invitation, politely decline. Syndrome comes from a Greek word that combines the root “to run” (dramein) with the prefix “together” (sun-). When many or all of the symptoms for a disease “run together,” that's a syndrome. You can also use syndrome in a figurative way to describe a type or pattern of behavior. If you have the “I'll do it tomorrow” syndrome, you put off doing a lot of things. At least you got around to reading about syndrome today.

Example Sentences

"This syndrome and all these things I'm trying to fight against are part of me," Dara told Bulgarian television station bTV in September.

From Barron's • May 17, 2026

The DoH reports each year on the prevalence of autism - including asperger syndrome - in schoolchildren in Northern Ireland.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

Amgen said in its quarterly earnings release in late April that the drug “demonstrates effectiveness and a favorable benefit-risk profile,” and said that vanishing bile duct syndrome hadn’t affected patients in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

A 2010 study found that hantavirus pulmonary syndrome primarily affects men of working age engaged in rural activities.

From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026

He had a different syndrome than Auggie has.

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio

Related Words

• ailment
• disorder
• malady
• problem
• sickness