Definition

Able to cause illness or disease in a living organism.

Example

Some bacteria are pathogenic and can lead to serious health problems.

Conversation

Have you heard about that new study on pathogenic bacteria?

Yeah, it's interesting how they can cause so many diseases.

I didn't realize how many pathogenic strains exist in our environment.

Right? It's a bit scary but also fascinating to learn about.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Pathogenic → It is formed from "patho-" (from Greek "pathos", meaning disease or suffering) and "genic" (from Greek "genes", meaning born of or produced by). The word "pathogenic" refers to something that produces or causes disease.

Memory Tip

Think of 'pathos' which relates to disease or suffering, and 'genic' which means produced by — this helps you remember that 'pathogenic' refers to something that causes disease.

Visually Confused Words