MEANING
1. Relating to sclerosis or abnormal hardening of body tissue; by extension, rigid and resistant to change.
2. Rigid and resistant to change, especially of an institution, process, or way of thinking.
Use it for
Tissue hardens; a system can also become rigid and unresponsive.Describe abnormal hardening in the body, or rigidity in an institution that refuses to change.
Words that belong together
- sclerotic tissue
- sclerotic change
- tissue becomes sclerotic
- sclerotic institution
- sclerotic system
- sclerotic bureaucracy
On the page
A sclerotic patch spread across the specimen’s pale skin.
The sclerotic rules left no room for mercy or appeal.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- sclerotic
Explore related collections
Usage notes
The medical sense concerns tissue hardening; the figurative sense describes a rigid institution or habit and is not a diagnosis. Sense 2: This figurative sense is critical and formal; it compares institutional rigidity to physical hardening.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.