Dictionary

atrophy en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈæt.ɹə.fi/ (Australia, Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈɛt.ɹə.fi/ (New-Zealand)

Etymology

Borrowed from French atrophie, from Latin atrophia, from Ancient Greek ἀτροφία (atrophía, “a wasting away”), from ἄτροφος (átrophos, “ill-fed, un-nourished”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + τροφή (trophḗ, “nourishment”), from τρέφω (tréphō, “to fatten”). Equivalent to a- + -trophy.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A reduction in the functionality of an organ caused by disease, injury or lack of use.
   • Now that chatbots are going the way of Google—moving from the miraculous to the taken-for-granted—the anxiety has shifted, too, from apocalypse to atrophy. Teachers, especially, say they’re beginning to see the rot. The term for it is unlovely but not inapt: de-skilling. 2025 October 26, Kwame Anthony Appiah, “The Age of De-Skilling”, in The Atlantic:

Forms

Deriveds

yellow atrophy · hemiatrophy · fibroatrophy · atrophic · atrogene · dermatrophy · panatrophy · pseudoatrophy · encephalatrophy · scleroatrophy · spinal muscular atrophy · geographic atrophy · lipoatrophy · atrophin · dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy

Translations (39)

lt atrofija (reduced functionality) · is rýrnun (reduced functionality) · ro atrofie (reduced functionality) · be атрафі́я (reduced functionality) · pl zanik (reduced functionality) · eo atrofio (reduced functionality) · nl atrofie (reduced functionality) · ar تَلَاشٍ (reduced functionality) · fo svinn (reduced functionality) · pt atrofia (reduced functionality) · fi surkastuma (reduced functionality) · es atrofia (reduced functionality) · da atrofi (reduced functionality) · uk атрофі́я (reduced functionality) · sq atrofi (reduced functionality) · cmn 退化 (reduced functionality) · ja 萎縮 (reduced functionality) · it atrofia (reduced functionality) · fi atrofia (reduced functionality) · sv atrofi (reduced functionality) · nn atrofi (reduced functionality) · cs zakrnění (reduced functionality) · az atrofiya (reduced functionality) · bg атрофия (reduced functionality) · id atrofi (reduced functionality) · pl atrofia (reduced functionality) · ca atròfia (reduced functionality) · de Atrophie (reduced functionality) · el ατροφία (reduced functionality) · tr atrofi (reduced functionality) · ro atrofiere (reduced functionality) · scn atrufìa (reduced functionality) · fr atrophie (reduced functionality) · ar ضُمُور (reduced functionality) · fi surkastuminen (reduced functionality) · nb atrofi (reduced functionality) · fi atropia (reduced functionality) · ru атрофи́я (reduced functionality) · cmn 萎縮 /萎缩 (reduced functionality)

atrophy en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈæt.ɹə.fi/ (Australia, Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈɛt.ɹə.fi/ (New-Zealand)

Etymology

Borrowed from French atrophie, from Latin atrophia, from Ancient Greek ἀτροφία (atrophía, “a wasting away”), from ἄτροφος (átrophos, “ill-fed, un-nourished”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + τροφή (trophḗ, “nourishment”), from τρέφω (tréphō, “to fatten”). Equivalent to a- + -trophy.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To wither or waste away.
   • The M10 highway looks normal enough at the southern limits of St. Petersburg, but then, with a jolt, it begins to atrophy. For the next 430 miles the surface of the highway, while paved, varies from corduroy to jaw-rattling patchwork. 2013 October 13, Ellen Barry, “The Russia Left Behind: A journey through a heartland on the slow road to ruin”, in The New York Times:
   • Boy. I love summer vacation. I can feel my brain beginning to atrophy already. 1987 June 13, Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes (comic):
2. (transitive) To cause to waste away or become abortive; to starve or weaken.
   • Cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any sense of compassion 2001, “Schism” (04:35-05:10 from the start), in Lateralus, performed by Tool:

Forms

Antonyms

hypertrophy · strengthen

Relateds

-trophy · decondition · hypotrophy

Translations (37)

ar ضَمُرَ ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · fi näivettyä ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · ca atrofiar-se ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · tr körelmek ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · ar تَلَاشَى ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · uk атрофува́тися ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · pl osłabiać ((transitive) cause to waste away) · lt atrofuotis ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · io atrofiar ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · uk атрофува́ти ((transitive) cause to waste away) · fr atrophier ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · ru атрофи́роваться ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · ru атрофи́ровать ((transitive) cause to waste away) · cs zakrnět ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · lt atrofuoti ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · be атрафі́равацца ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · sv atrofiera ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · de absterben ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · fi surkastuttaa ((transitive) cause to waste away) · pl zanikać ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · pl słabnąć ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · ro atrofia ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · cmn 萎縮 /萎缩 ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · cmn 使萎縮 /使萎缩 ((transitive) cause to waste away) · el ατροφώ ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · cmn 衰退 ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · mi whakamemeke ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · pt atrofiar ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · el μαραίνομαι ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · bg атрофирам ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · es atrofiarse ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · pl osłabić ((transitive) cause to waste away) · es atrofiar ((transitive) cause to waste away) · fi surkastua ((intransitive) wither or waste away) · cmn 使衰弱 ((transitive) cause to waste away) · fi näivettää ((transitive) cause to waste away) · pl zaniknąć ((intransitive) wither or waste away)