Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to or caused by disease: Pertaining to the study of disease (pathology) or describing a condition, process, or change that is caused by or indicative of a physical disease.
   • Relating to a compulsive or extreme behavior: Describing a behavior, habit, or condition that is extreme, compulsive, and often considered abnormal or unhealthy in a psychological sense.

Usage and Examples

• Relating to physical disease:
  • The doctor ordered a pathological examination of the tissue. (This means an examination to study the nature of the disease.)
  • A high fever can be a pathological response to infection. (This describes a bodily process caused by disease.)
• Describing compulsive behavior:
  • He is a pathological liar; you cannot believe anything he says. (This describes lying as a deeply ingrained, compulsive habit.)
  • She has a pathological fear of germs. (This indicates an extreme, irrational, and debilitating fear.)

Advanced Usage

• "Pathological condition": A state of disease or abnormality.
  • Obesity is now understood as a complex pathological condition.
• "Pathological findings": The results or observations from a medical examination of diseased tissue.
  • The pathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of cancer.

Variants and Related Words

• Pathologic (adj): An alternative form, often used interchangeably with "pathological," especially in medical contexts (e.g., pathologic fracture).
• Pathology (n): The scientific study of the nature, causes, and effects of diseases.
  • She works in the department of pathology.
• Pathologist (n): A medical doctor who specializes in diagnosing disease by examining tissues and cells.
  • The pathologist examined the biopsy sample.

Synonyms

• Morbid: Suggesting an unhealthy mental state or interest in gloomy things; also relating to disease.
• Diseased: Affected with or caused by disease.
• Compulsive: Resulting from or relating to an irresistible urge, especially one that is against one's conscious wishes.

Antonyms

• Physiological: Relating to the normal functions of a living organism.
• Healthy: In a state of good physical or mental health.
• Normal: Conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.

Adjective

1. caused by or altered by or manifesting disease or pathology
   • diseased tonsils
   • a morbid growth
   • pathologic tissue
   • pathological bodily processes
2. caused by or evidencing a mentally disturbed condition
   • a pathological liar
   • a pathological urge to succeed
3. of or relating to the practice of pathology
   • pathological laboratory