Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "dystrophy" [dystrophy]

  • A degenerative disorder caused by inadequate or defective nutrition. (noun)
  • Any of several disorders, especially muscular dystrophy, in which the muscles weaken and atrophy. (noun)
  • Ecology The condition of being dystrophic. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "dystrophy" in a sentence
  • "And I went to the clinic to see if I got a thing called myotonic muscular dystrophy, which is also known as Steinert's disease."
  • "Advanced Cell Technology , will involve 24 patients suffering from Stargardt's macular dystrophy, which is the leading cause of pediatric blindness, and dry age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world."
  • "There is no known cure for muscular dystrophy, which is characterized by weakness and wasting of skeletal muscles."