medicalize

M3E1D2I1C3A1L1I1Z10E1
/ˈmɛdɪkəlaɪz/

verb

To make medical; to convert or reduce to a branch of medicine; especially, to pathologize.

OriginEnglish medical ← French médica ← Medieval Latin medicāli →
Scrabble 24
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Meanings

verbmedicalize (third-person singular simple present medicalizes, present participle medicalizing, simple past and past participle medicalized)

present singular third person medicalizes · participle present medicalizing · participle past medicalized · past medicalized · alternative medicalise

  1. transitiveTo make medical; to convert or reduce to a branch of medicine; especially, to pathologize.

    […] sexual problems would have to be repackaged and medicalized.

    2004, Leonore Tiefer, Sex is Not a Natural Act and Other Essays
    2 more examples

    The sexual objectification and violation of women is made invisible because technological reproduction has turned medicalized pornography into education […]

    1996, Dion Farquhar, The Other Machine: Discourse and Reproductive Technologies

    Early in this century American obstetrics became committed to a path that has led to a highly medicalized approach to the care of women during pregnancy […]

    1999, Judith Rooks, Charles S Mahan, Midwifery and Childbirth

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
pathologize

Origin

  1. Latinmedeor
  2. Latinmedicus
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  4. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  5. Medieval Latinmedicāli
  6. Frenchmédica
  7. Englishmedical
  8. Englishmedicalize

From medical + -ize.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish lääketieteellistää
  • lääketieteellistääto make medical; to convert or reduce to a branch of medicine; especially, to pathologize
German medikalisieren
  • medikalisierento make medical; to convert or reduce to a branch of medicine; especially, to pathologize
Hungarian medikalizál
  • medikalizálto make medical; to convert or reduce to a branch of medicine; especially, to pathologize
Polish czynić medycznym
  • czynić medycznymto make medical; to convert or reduce to a branch of medicine; especially, to pathologize

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

decimalize
Cite this entry
APA

medicalize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/medicalize

MLA

“medicalize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/medicalize. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “medicalize,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/medicalize.

Source: medicalize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.