atrophied

adjective

1
: having wasted away or decreased in size (as from disease or disuse)
Astronauts and test animals have returned to Earth with atrophied muscles … Ivan Amato
2
: having progressively declined or weakened
Growing responsibilities in the Balkans and Africa, coinciding with reserves in Angola and signs of trouble in Cambodia, may soon limit the organization's eagerness and ability to take on new challenges in atrophied states. Ronald K. McMullen et al.

Examples of atrophied in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Other treatments put limbs in plaster casts to ensure immobility, and those patients did end up in wheelchairs or worse as their muscles atrophied beyond repair. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 22 Dec. 2024 At the same time, the United States must tend to its atrophied defense industrial base. Mitch McConnell, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of atrophied was in 1597

Dictionary Entries Near atrophied

Cite this Entry

“Atrophied.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atrophied. Accessed 29 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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