iatrogenic
/aɪˌætɹəˈd͡ʒɛnɪk/
iatrogenic means induced by the words or actions of the physician or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedure. It carries an Arena rating of 1406, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, iatrogenic ranks #764 of 17,125 for Most Incisive Words, #1,074 of 17,118 for Scariest Words, #2,632 of 17,122 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #3,013 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
iatrogenic is pronounced /aɪˌætɹəˈd͡ʒɛnɪk/.
Why “iatrogenic” is a great word
Induced by the words, actions, or procedures of a physician or medical treatment. From the Greek iatro- ("physician, healer") and -genic ("producing, causing"). Unlike "nosocomial," which restricts itself to infections acquired within hospital walls, or "idiopathic," which confesses ignorance of cause, iatrogenic names the wound that comes wrapped in care—the infection seeded by a catheter, the organ failure triggered by a well-intentioned drug, or the psychological scar left by a careless prognosis. It is the solemn recognition that the instruments of cure carry their own shadow, and that every intervention writes its small history of unintended consequence upon the body.
Etymology
From iatro- + -genic.
adj
- Induced by the words or actions of the physician or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedure.e.g.“Another group argues that the diagnosis is being overused and that many of the diagnosed cases are iatrogenic, or unintentionally shaped or caused by the practitioner”
Words closest in meaning
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