Meanings
- derogatoryhumorousuncountableA tendency for one to adopt a posture as if one had larger latissimus dorsi muscles than one actually has, especially a posture where the arms are held away from the torso.
ILS, or Imaginary Lat Syndrome, became popular in the late 1980s when pro wrestling peaked and every guy wanted to be like Hulk Hogan.
2017, Andrew Ginsburg, Pumping Irony: How to Build Muscle, Lose Weight, and Have the Last Laugh, Skyhorse Publishing, →ISBN4 more examples
Neophytes, for example, risk being ridiculed by other gym members if they walk this way: ‘Aghh, look at him! He’s got ILS [Imaginary Lat Syndrome]’.
2001, Lee F. Monaghan, Bodybuilding, Drugs and Risk, London; New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 42[Brendan] Ranford does not have washboard abs, like many of his prospect camp counterparts, and he does not walk around with Imaginary Lat Syndrome — or a deliberate, imposing gait to impress or attract.
2011 July 13, Frank Seravalli, “Ranford tackling some weighty issues”, in Philadelphia Daily News, page 48Not everyone who does regular resistance training has to end up with tight muscles, inflexible joints, and a bad case of imaginary lat syndrome.
2015 March 19, Michelle Churchill, “Using your body weight to work out”, in Cape Life, Cape Coral, Fla.: The News-Press Media Group, page B2His [Kenneth’s] arms talk: elbows cocked out, hands into fists, when illustrating the tough, dominant image he has worn for much of his time in white gay enclaves — jokily referring to “imaginary lat syndrome.”
2020 February 29, Patrick Strudwick, “This Is Why Queer People Of Color Are Becoming Addicted To Meth And Sex”, in BuzzFeed News, archived from the original on 01 Mar 2020Synonyms: ILS, invisible lat syndrome
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA tendency for one to adopt a posture as if one had larger latissimus dorsi muscles than one actually has, especially a posture where the arms are held away from the torso.
Origin
From imaginary + lat (“(slang) latissimus dorsi muscle”) + syndrome.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish leveäharteinen ryhti
- leveäharteinen ryhtitendency for one to adopt a posture as if one had larger latissimus dorsi muscles than one actually has
Cite this entry
imaginary lat syndrome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imaginary%20lat%20syndrome
“imaginary lat syndrome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imaginary%20lat%20syndrome. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “imaginary lat syndrome,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imaginary%20lat%20syndrome.
Source: imaginary lat syndrome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.