androgen

noun

an·​dro·​gen ˈan-drə-jən 

: a male sex hormone (such as testosterone)

androgenic

ˌan-drə-ˈje-nik 

adjective

Examples of androgen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Many prostate cancers rely on hormones called androgens as fuel for their growth. —Jason P. Joseph, The Conversation, 21 May 2025

All that insulin triggers your ovaries to pump out extra androgens, leading to PCOS symptoms. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 20 May 2025

Androgen Synthesis Inhibitor If an LHRH agonist, LHRH antagonist, or orchiectomy is also no longer effective, the androgen synthesis inhibitor Zytiga (abiraterone) can be added. —Matthew Wosnitzer, Verywell Health, 12 May 2025

This is because some cancer cells may still respond to low androgen levels. —Matthew Wosnitzer, Verywell Health, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

andro- + -gen, after estrogen

Note: The term was apparently introduced in a short article "The Nomenclature of 'Male Hormones'" by the American Medical Society's Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry, published in the Journal of the American Medical Society, vol. 107, no. 3 (July 18, 1936), p. 212.

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing androgen

• androgen deprivation therapy
• androgen insensitivity syndrome
• anti-androgen

Kids Definition

androgen

noun

an·​dro·​gen ˈan-drə-jən 

: a male sex hormone (as testosterone)

Medical Definition

androgen

noun

an·​dro·​gen ˈan-drə-jən 

: a male sex hormone (as testosterone)

androgenic

ˌan-drə-ˈjen-ik 

adjective