vitiligo
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vitiligo
1650–60; < Latin vitilīgō form of skin eruption, apparently equivalent to *vitil ( is ) defective ( vit ( ium ) blemish + -ilis -ile ) + -īgō noun suffix
Explanation
A skin condition that results in pale patches on a person's skin is called vitiligo. Once vitiligo first appears, it often spreads to other parts of the body. There's no known cure for vitiligo, which has no physical symptoms aside from a loss of pigmentation, or color, on a person's skin. The difficult part of having vitiligo is that people can be stigmatized or bullied for looking different. Recently, however, more companies have been using models with vitiligo in ad campaigns to show that looking different is beautiful.
Vocabulary lists containing vitiligo
Unfadeable
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How to Disappear Completely
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Boy 2.0
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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.
Forte recently reported results of an early-stage clinical trial for the drug that showed a significant treatment benefit in skin condition vitiligo, building on data released last year for another study in celiac disease.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
"The internet doesn't want a perfect face. It wants character. So give them scars, give them style," says a promotional video for Higgsfield, adding "AI influencers with vitiligo have been really popular lately".
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
"If there's anything, I'll recognise him - my son's leg is amputated, and he has vitiligo... His hair is white. I'd know him," she added.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2025
The Einzigers also collaborated with Dr. Pearl Grimes, director of the Vitiligo & Pigmentation Institute of Southern California, who specializes in vitiligo and pigmentation disorders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2024
Even worse,I was a girl child—and a spotted one at that, because I was born with a skin condition called vitiligo, which caused me to look like a baby leopard.
From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
