Word

pathological

adjective C1

a=GA

Meanings

adjective

Relating to disease or the study of disease.

adjective

Involving an extreme, irrational, and harmful pattern of behavior or feelings that goes beyond what is normal.

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Definition

Pathological describes something that involves disease or an abnormal, harmful pattern of behavior or thinking.

Pathological is used to describe conditions, processes, or changes connected with disease. It can also describe behavior or emotions that are extreme, irrational, and persistently harmful, suggesting an underlying disorder rather than an ordinary habit. In academic and professional writing, it often signals that a problem is clinically significant or unusually severe. The word is common in medicine, psychology, and formal analysis.

Examples

The report distinguishes between ordinary stress and pathological anxiety that disrupts daily functioning.
Her supervisor asked for evidence before calling the workplace conflict pathological.
I realized my need to be right was becoming pathological when I started losing close friendships over minor debates.
They rejected the simplistic claim that social media use is inherently pathological for teenagers.

Common mistake

Learners often use pathological to mean merely "very bad" or "unpleasant," but it usually implies disease-related or clinically abnormal extremes.