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
These three words served both to definitively pathologize her and to place her mental health on an ascending scale, one that coincidentally meant that mine and our other brother’s childhood—being cared for by this troubled if charismatic woman—was also, in his opinion, necessarily . . .
—Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
That meant pathologizing drug use, Regina Davis Moss, a public health scholar and president of In Our Own Voice, a reproductive justice organization, tells Rolling Stone.
—Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for pathologize 
Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
That meant pathologizing drug use, Regina Davis Moss, a public health scholar and president of In Our Own Voice, a reproductive justice organization, tells Rolling Stone.
—Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2024
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
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Pathologize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pathologize. Accessed 5 Nov. 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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