heartsink patient

noun

A recurring patient who cannot be definitively cured, such as one whose condition is undiagnosable or untreatable or who presents nebulous symptoms.

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Meanings

nounheartsink patient (plural heartsink patients)

plural heartsink patients

  1. derogatoryinformalA recurring patient who cannot be definitively cured, such as one whose condition is undiagnosable or untreatable or who presents nebulous symptoms.

Origin

From the idea that the patient's approach makes the doctor's heart sink in dread.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

heartsink patient. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heartsink%20patient

MLA

“heartsink patient.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heartsink%20patient. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “heartsink patient,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heartsink%20patient.

Source: heartsink patient on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.