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tubercular

American  
[too-bur-kyuh-ler, tyoo-] / tʊˈbɜr kyə lər, tyʊ- /

adjective

  1. pertaining to tuberculosis; tuberculous.

  2. of, relating to, or of the nature of a tubercle or tubercles.

  3. characterized by or having tubercles.


noun

  1. a tuberculous person.

tubercular British  
/ tjʊˈbɜːkjʊlə /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or symptomatic of tuberculosis

  2. of or relating to a tubercle or tubercles

  3. characterized by the presence of tubercles

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a person with tuberculosis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of tubercular

1790–1800; < Latin tūbercul ( um ) tubercle + -ar 1

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.

Her tubercular pale skin and flushed cheeks contributed to her allure.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

All except for Ratso, a tubercular, disabled con man.

From Washington Post • Jun. 16, 2022

Garner, a tubercular local railroad worker “snatched from the grave by radium” at the British-American Medical Institute at 859 South Figueroa, where, restored to health, he went to work operating the institute’s “electro-ozo-viro-radium treatment machine.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2021

With the “Funeral March” at its center, LaFarge’s multifaceted “journey” covers everything from the tubercular composer’s relationship with the gender-bending author George Sand to the video game “Frederic: The Resurrection of Music.”

From New York Times • Aug. 13, 2021

Then both he and Ben scouted the terrain beneath the water tower half expecting the tubercular, sallow face of Junior Palmer to appear as an apparition before the long climb to the catwalk could begin.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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