Words / B2

deye-uh-g-NOHS-is/ˌdaɪəɡˈnəʊsɪs/

A diagnosis names an illness or problem: an early diagnosis; diagnosis of the fault. Diagnose is already in the dictionary. Prognosis is the likely future course — a classic mix-up. Plural: diagnoses. Do not self-diagnose from a headline. In policy, a diagnosis of the problem precedes the remedy.

Meaning

The identification of an illness or problem (plural diagnoses).

Examples

• “An early diagnosis improved the chance of successful treatment.”
• “Early diagnosis improved survival in the screening programme.”
• “Engineers published a diagnosis of the signal failure, which is the technical sense.”

Good to know

a diagnosis of; early / misdiagnosis. Verb: diagnose. Mix-up: prognosis (outlook). Plural: diagnoses.

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