pathology
noun
pa·thol·o·gy
pə-ˈthä-lə-jē 
plural pathologies
1
: the study of the essential nature of diseases and especially of the structural and functional changes produced by them
studied plant pathology
2
: something abnormal:
a
: the structural and functional deviations from the normal that constitute disease or characterize a particular disease
the pathology of pneumonia
b
: deviation from propriety or from an assumed normal state of something nonliving or nonmaterial
the pathology of wine
c
: deviation giving rise to social ills
connections between these pathologies … and crime—
Wendy Kaminer
Wendy Kaminersocial pathology
Examples of pathology in a Sentence
the pathology of lung diseases
Recent Examples on the Web
Molecular pathology, a subset of molecular medicine, examines factors contributing to disease.
—Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2024
However, despite her experience, the lingo of speech pathology and singing techniques sometimes went over her head.
—Alexandra Willingham, CNN, 6 July 2024
By clustering people into groups based on similarity in proteomic features, Johnson and his colleagues identified 10 groups with distinct pathologies.
—Rohan Rajeev, STAT, 28 June 2024
The couple — who got engaged in July 2023 — first met during the COVID-19 pandemic in Philadelphia when Jon was home training for the NFL and Victoria was attending graduate school for speech-language pathology.
—Marina Watts, Peoplemag, 6 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pathology 
Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2024
However, despite her experience, the lingo of speech pathology and singing techniques sometimes went over her head.
—Alexandra Willingham, CNN, 6 July 2024
By clustering people into groups based on similarity in proteomic features, Johnson and his colleagues identified 10 groups with distinct pathologies.
—Rohan Rajeev, STAT, 28 June 2024
The couple — who got engaged in July 2023 — first met during the COVID-19 pandemic in Philadelphia when Jon was home training for the NFL and Victoria was attending graduate school for speech-language pathology.
—Marina Watts, Peoplemag, 6 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pathology
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pathology.' 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 pathology
Cite this Entry
“Pathology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pathology. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pathology
noun
pa·thol·o·gy
pə-ˈthäl-ə-jē
plural pathologies
1
: the study of diseases and especially of the changes in the body produced by them
2
: something abnormal
especially
: the disorders in structure and function that occur in a particular disease
Medical Definition
pathology
noun
pa·thol·o·gy
-jē
plural pathologies
1
: the study of the essential nature of diseases and especially of the structural and functional changes produced by them
2
: the anatomic and physiological deviations from the normal that constitute disease or characterize a particular disease
3
: a treatise on or compilation of abnormalities
a new pathology of the eye
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