vitiligo

American  

[vit-l-ahy-goh, -ee-goh] / ˌvɪt lˈaɪ goʊ, -ˈi goʊ /

noun

Pathology.

1. a skin disorder characterized by smooth, white patches on various parts of the body, caused by the loss of the natural pigment.

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vitiligo British  

/ ˌvɪtɪˈlaɪɡəʊ /

noun

1. another name for leucoderma

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Other Word Forms

• vitiliginous adjective
• vitiligoid adjective

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

Example Sentences

"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

It comes after the BBC flagged dozens of profiles showing AI-generated images of women with disabilities, including Down's syndrome or vitiligo.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

The Cay Skin founder, who is a spokesperson for the skin condition vitiligo, first connected with Kuzma in early 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 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

Before I got vitiligo, I never understood how Mom and Lily spent so long looking at themselves in the mirror.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish