syndrome
SIN-drohm
/ˈsɪn.drəʊm/
A group of symptoms that consistently occur together and characterize a particular medical or psychological condition.
Used when a cluster of signs and symptoms reliably co-occur, even if the precise underlying single cause is still investigated.
The story behind the word. In ancient Greek, 'syndromē' meant a crowd gathering or 'running together'. Physicians adopted it to describe distinct symptoms that repeatedly 'run together' during an illness.
Word relationships
- symptom complex: Technical term for a group of co-occurring signs.
- condition: Broader term referring to any state of health.
- isolated symptom: A single standalone sign of dysfunction without broader features.
Commonly confused with
- symptom: A symptom is a single manifestation, while a syndrome is a cluster of multiple symptoms occurring together.
Word family
- syndromic (adjective): Relating to or characterized by a specific syndrome.
Collocations
- metabolic syndrome
- irritable bowel syndrome
- Tourette syndrome
- clinical syndrome
Example sentences
- "The clinician recognized the combination of fatigue, memory loss, and tremors as part of a rare neurological syndrome." Clinical Assessment
- "Burnout is increasingly recognized as an occupational syndrome stemming from unmanaged workplace stress." Psychological Evaluation
Memory hook
SYN (together) + DROME (running). Symptoms RUNNING TOGETHER form a syndrome. Symptoms running together.
When not to use
Do not confuse with a single symptom like a cough or headache.
Fun facts
- 'Impostor syndrome' describes a psychological pattern of doubting one's accomplishments despite clear evidence of success.
Related words
Explore more words
diagnosis, symptomatic, chronic, concurrence, etiology, Synchronous
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.