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.
An Instagram account with millions of views shows a woman in swimsuits and gymwear whose body is bisected by vitiligo so she is exactly half white and half brown.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
The Fashionistas series also includes dolls with vitiligo, prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025
This strategy could also be adapted to treat other autoimmune skin diseases such as vitiligo, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis, the researchers say.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2024
The 54-year-old has a condition called vitiligo, which has caused pigment loss in parts of his skin.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2024
It shouldn’t be such a shock, especially because, in lots of the pictures I’ve seen of people with vitiligo, it forms a pale mask around their eyes, mouth, and nose.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
