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An affliction is something that causes pain and mental suffering, especially a medical condition.
Affluence is the state of having a lot of money and many possessions, granting one a high economic standard of living.
Aliment is something, usually food, that feeds, nourishes, or supports someone or something else.
An anodyne is a medicine that soothes or relieves pain.
When something attenuates, it lessens in size or intensity; it becomes thin or weakened.
Attrition is the process of gradually decreasing the strength of something—such as an army or workforce—by continually weakening it or decreasing it in size.
Something is a blight if it spoils or damages things severely; blight is often used to describe something that ruins or kills crops.
A comestible is something that can be eaten.
A copious amount of something is a very large amount of it.
Debility is a state of being physically or mentally weak, usually due to illness.
A diminution of something is a reduction in the size, number, or importance of it.
A person or animal that is emaciated is extremely thin because of a serious illness or lack of food.
If you show exuberance, you display great excitement, energy, and enthusiasm.
Someone who is feckless is incompetent and lacks the determination or skill to achieve much of anything at all in life.
Something luxuriant, such as plants or hair, is growing well and is very healthy.
A malady is a serious illness; it can also be used to refer to serious and widespread problems within a society or an organization.
Malaise is a feeling of discontent, general unease, or even illness in a person or group for which there does not seem to be a quick and easy solution because the cause of it is not clear.
If something is obsolescent, it is slowly becoming no longer needed because something newer or more effective has been invented.
Something that is opulent is very impressive, grand, and is made from expensive materials.
A profusion of something is a very large quantity or variety of it.
If something bad, such as crime or disease, is rampant, there is a lot of it—and it is increasing in a way that is difficult to control.
If you say that something bad or unpleasant is rife somewhere, you mean that it is very common.
A salubrious place or area is pleasant, clean, healthy, and comfortable to live in.
A salutary experience is beneficial to you since it strengthens you in some way, although it may be unpleasant as you undergo it; this word also refers to promoting good health.
Noun
atrophy
A-truh-fee
Context
After his motorcycle accident, Ross noticed the weakening effect that atrophy was having upon his leg muscles, which were no longer able to support him. The doctor told him that six months of lying inactive in bed had atrophied and weakened his leg muscles. After several trying weeks of physical therapy, Ross had regained some of his strength but had completely stopped his muscles from atrophying or wasting away any further. In a few months, however, he was stronger than ever, and the force of atrophy or decay had ceased to be a factor in body, mind, and spirit.
Quiz:Try again!
What happens to a muscle that is undergoing atrophy?
It gets smaller due to malnourishment.
It gets stronger and bigger due to rigorous exercise.
It remains the same size but develops the ability to endure for longer periods of time.
Atrophy is a process by which parts of the body, such as muscles and organs, lessen in size or weaken in strength due to internal nerve damage, poor nutrition, or aging.
Trophy for Lazy Man So, what did the laziest man in the world get for being the laziest man? Atrophy!
Examples
A sojourn in space is a great way to ruin one’s physique—the microgravity results in dramatic loss of muscle mass. Residents of the International Space Station exercise regularly to stave off the atrophy, but perhaps there’s another way. Scientists have now found that if they treat spacefaring mice with a particular molecule, the animals not only maintain their muscles, they even bulk up a bit.
—
Scientific American
SMA stands for spinal muscular atrophy, and I was born with it. I've never walked or stood, and over time have lost the use of my hands. It's a progressive neuromuscular weakness.
—
NPR
If you struggle with balance issues or have achy, arthritic joints that make it hard to stand for prolonged periods of time, you will want to find alternative ways to work out safely. This is especially important because being sedentary accelerates muscle atrophy and joint deterioration.
—
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The scientists studied 998 women ages 73 to 87 and free of dementia, periodically giving them tests of learning and memory. They used magnetic resonance imaging to detect brain atrophy, or wasting, and then scored the deterioration on its degree of similarity to the brain atrophy characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
—
The New York Times
When one’s muscles are afflicted with atrophy, they are “without food” or do “not” have “nourishment” and thus weaken and waste away.
Word Constellation
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Related Words
affliction ·
attenuate ·
attrition ·
blight ·
debility ·
diminution ·
emaciated ·
feckless ·
malady ·
malaise ·
obsolescent ·
affluence ·
aliment ·
anodyne ·
comestible ·
copious ·
exuberance ·
luxuriant ·
opulent ·
profusion ·
rampant ·
rife ·
salubrious ·
salutary ·
Similar sense
Opposite sense
Word Variants
atrophy
v
→
to deteriorate or waste away
The section lists important variants and alternate definitions of the headword. Knowing variants will often help you both remember and understand the word. Not all variants are listed - only the ones we think that are important for you to know.
