atrophied

adjective

at·​ro·​phied ˈa-trə-fēd How to pronounce atrophied (audio)
-ˌfīd
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 Meanwhile, America’s atrophied shipyards struggle to produce a next-generation ballistic missile submarine, capable of launching missiles and evading satellite reconnaissance. Kyle Balzer, TIME, 5 Sep. 2024 Key Facts Bavarian Nordic stock jumped by more than 14% during early trading in Copenhagen on Thursday, though gains atrophied to around 12.5% as trading continued. Robert Hart, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024 Our military deterrent has dangerously atrophied under Biden. Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post, 8 July 2024 The microgravity environment can also lead to a loss of bone density and atrophied muscles, prompting long-haul astronauts to adopt specific exercise regimens. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 June 2024 All four high-level dialogues that began in the spring of 2017 eventually atrophied and stopped altogether. Evan Medeiros, Foreign Affairs, 17 Mar. 2021 Preventing the calves from moving atrophied their muscles, ensuring a tender meat. Keith Pandolfi, Saveur, 15 May 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 1 Jan. 2025.

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