pathologize
verb
pa·thol·o·gize
pə-ˈthä-lə-ˌjīz 
pathologized; pathologizing
: to view or characterize as medically or psychologically abnormal
natural hormonal shifts have been pathologized—
Joyce C. Mills
Joyce C. MillsExamples of pathologize in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The two were easy scapegoats in a media culture and news environment that often pathologized Black masculinity as deviant and dangerous.
—Brandon Harris, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2024
Soufan, however, passes over almost all discussion of religion and tends to pathologize religious sentiment in glib tones.
—Graeme Wood, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017
Until 2013, sadomasochism, along with fetishism, was pathologized as a mental illness in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or the DSM—a ruling with legal implications for jobs, parental rights.
—R. O. Kwon, TIME, 17 May 2024
Still, many people, including those in the fat acceptance movement, do not believe their bodies should be pathologized.
—Andrea Kane, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pathologize 
Brandon Harris, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2024
Soufan, however, passes over almost all discussion of religion and tends to pathologize religious sentiment in glib tones.
—Graeme Wood, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017
Until 2013, sadomasochism, along with fetishism, was pathologized as a mental illness in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or the DSM—a ruling with legal implications for jobs, parental rights.
—R. O. Kwon, TIME, 17 May 2024
Still, many people, including those in the fat acceptance movement, do not believe their bodies should be pathologized.
—Andrea Kane, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pathologize
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pathologize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pathologize
Cite this Entry
“Pathologize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pathologize. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
pathologize
transitive verb
pa·thol·o·gize
variants
or chiefly British pathologise
-ˌjīz
pathologized or chiefly British pathologised; pathologizing or chiefly British pathologising
: to view or characterize as medically or psychologically abnormal
natural hormonal shifts have been pathologized—Joyce C. Mills
Joyce C. Millspathologizing childhood behavior—Ruth Shalit
Ruth Shalit
pathologization
noun
or chiefly British pathologisation
pə-ˌthäl-ə-jə-ˈzā-shən
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