Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Of, relating to, or designating a disease having no known cause.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- In pathology, of or pertaining to a primary morbid state; not secondary or arising from any other disease: as, an idiopathic affection: opposed to symptomatic.
Wiktionary
- adj. pathology Of, relating to, or designating a disease or condition having no known cause.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. (Med.) Pertaining to idiopathy; characterizing a disease arising primarily, and not in consequence of some other disease or injury; -- opposed to
symptomatic ,sympathetic , andtraumatic .
WordNet 3.0
- adj. (of diseases) arising from an unknown cause
Etymologies
- idio- + -pathic (Wiktionary)
Examples
“The word idiopathic in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis means no one knows what causes the disease.”
“Annoyingly for some people, no actual cause can be found - this is known as idiopathic rhinitis and is more difficult to treat.”
“Medically, it is 'idiopathic' - which means that it arises spontaneously, from an unknown cause.”
“Pseudotumor cerebri, also known as idiopathic intracranial hypertension or benign intracranial hypertension, was the latest disease a blog reader was 100 percent completely sure was the cause of my headache.”
“Left-Handedness May Come From Toes A study of young children who walk on their toes for no apparent reason, known as idiopathic toe walking, found a significantly higher preference for left-handedness in the toe-walkers than normal-gait children, according to a report in Acta Paediatrica.”
The Wall Street Journal: Losing Baby Fat Lowers Heart Risks Later
“However, most of the drug's sales were to doctors who used it "off label" to treat a different fatal lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.”
“The lead Stromedix candidate, known as STX-100, is currently aimed at an almost-always-fatal condition known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis that involves scarring in the lung and impedes breathing.”
“InterMune is seeking FDA approval for a drug, pirfenidone, which was developed to treat a lung condition known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.”
The Wall Street Journal: FDA Panel Backs InterMune Lung Drug
“On top of the asthma and allergies, I'd contracted a blood disorder called idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.”
“InterMune Inc. said a panel from the European medicines regulator gave a positive opinion on its application to market its pirfenidone treatment for the fatal condition known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.”
The Wall Street Journal: InterMune Boosted by European Regulatory Opinion
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘idiopathic’.
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phrontistery - i
from phrontistery.info
izzat, izzard, ixiodic, izard, ivresse, ixora, ivorist, ivoride, ivorine, iulus, iulan, ithomiid and 510 more...
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New Words
idiopathic, explicate, expiate, pellucid, exogenous, pelagic, manque, salonniere, pedantic, expatiate, cyclamen, peregrination and 83 more...
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Fear and Faux Fear
All is fair in fear...
dustbunniephobia, dingleberryphobia, eyegookiphobia, nonchalantiphobia, malcominthemiddle..., temporal lobe epi..., tonic clonic, idiopathic, dura, grand mal, absence seizure, partial complex s... and 4 more...
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idio-
distinct; private; personal
idiotype, idiopathic, idiolect, idiosyncrasy, idiosyncratic, idiot
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Just 'cause I like 'em, I
irenic, inimical, ignotism, infrangible, internecine, illumine, ingot, imposter, iconoclast, indefeasible, indefatigable, impingement and 184 more...
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ADW1
obdurate, obstinate, behest, injunction, enjoin, circumspect, ensconce, discursive, lugubrious, doleful, somber, ken and 2476 more...
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word set 12
plasmasphere, cockatrice, delimitable, precipitancy, trellising, thermochromism, cadenza, tentaculiferous, fluctiferous, circumambient, loblolly, trailing edge and 142 more...
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tomax's Words
legerdemain, yayo, extravasation, wont, faze, coxswain, concomitant, enclave, unguent, rhabdomyolysis, effluent, puerile and 432 more...
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sick
"Sick" is probably not the right word, but this is where I put diseases, problems and abnormalities until I find a better way to sort them.
atavism, pareidolia, apophenia, echolalia, glossolalia, alogia, dysthymia, euthymia, synesthesia, Stendhal syndrome, cryptomnesia, analgesia and 356 more...
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cloudjuice's Words
schadenfreude, sordid, promulgate, erratic, erroneous, amalgamate, sesquipedalian, incongruous, psychosis, etymology, simulacrum, serendipity and 988 more...
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sionnach's Words
contumely, fomite, holmgang, poltroon, eleemosynary, obsidian, nugatory, grindcore, felch, recrudescent, pyx, parenteral and 3271 more...
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suzyg's Words
brandish, recompence, shopping, dichotomy, paradigm, reverse osmosis, anyway, despite, drunk, degenerate, insipid, grateful and 438 more...
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stpeter's Words
abase, abasement, abashed, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abhorrent, abide, abject, ablation, abnegation and 3536 more...
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SAVED FAVES
Listless no more,
arrears, addle, akimbo, allure, appurtenance, bibelot, bibulous, bifurcate, blither, boodle, crapulous, coprolite and 122 more...
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wackyvorlon's list
herein, execrable, extirpate, ameliorate, sawbuck, obstreperous, truculent, festinate, exiguous, exsanguinate, vehement, vex and 135 more...
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Neologisms
Words coined by me, my friends, or people from whom I feel comfortable stealing intellectual property.
neologophilia, gemerald, pseudophistication, cognoscentocracy, geoflation, awkweird, gawkward, pseudoprofundity, dubblent, moosicles, moosies, turmungous and 196 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for idiopathic.

jorge999 a medical term meaning 'of unknown cause' as in: idiopathic epilepsy.
A doctor friend used to say, "imagine that you are having seizures and you don't know why. You rush off to a fancy diagnostic clinic which does extensive neurological and other testing. At last you sit down with the doctor who gives you a diagnosis of 'Idiopathic Epilepsy.' which means, 'you are having seizures and we don't know why'
You are troubled to hear that you have epilepsy, and you spent a lot of money but you are somewhat relieved that at least you now have a 'diagnosis.' "
As my doctor friend said, "you can't send them a bill that repeats back their own words ie. 'you have seizures and we don't know why'. When they hear the long medical term they think you really KNOW something!" Nov 4, 2009