diagnosis

diagnosis — noun

1. a decision, based on checking a person's symptoms, test results, and medical his

1.nounB2
Definition

a decision, based on checking a person's symptoms, test results, and medical history, about what disease or health problem they have.

Example

The doctor's diagnosis of pneumonia was confirmed by the chest X-ray.

collocation: diagnosis of [condition]

Early diagnosis of breast cancer greatly improves the chances of successful treatment.

collocation: early diagnosis of [disease]

Common collocations
  • diagnosis of [a disease]
  • early diagnosis
  • initial diagnosis
  • make a diagnosis
  • confirm a diagnosis
  • receive a diagnosis
Synonyms
  • medical opinion

    less formal, often used when a second doctor is consulted for confirmation

  • clinical assessment

    refers to the full evaluation process, not just the conclusion; more formal

  • pathology report

    specifically refers to the written laboratory result, not the doctor's judgment

Grammar Patterns

diagnosis + of + [illness/disease/condition]

make/diagnose + a diagnosis

receive/confirm + a diagnosis

Usage Note

The verb 'diagnose' is more common in everyday conversation than the noun 'diagnosis'. The plural form is 'diagnoses' (pronounced /daɪəɡˈnoʊsiːz/).

Common Mistakes

The doctor gave a diagnose of the illness.
The doctor made a diagnosis of the illness.
'diagnose' is a verb; the noun form is 'diagnosis'.
The diagnosis for malaria came back positive.
The diagnosis of malaria came back positive.
the correct preposition is 'of', not 'for'.

2. a careful examination of a difficult situation, system failure, or business prob

2.nounB2
Definition

a careful examination of a difficult situation, system failure, or business problem in order to find out what is causing it.

Example

The mechanic's diagnosis of the engine problem saved the company thousands in repair costs.

collocation: diagnosis of [problem]

Tuan's diagnosis of the team's low morale pointed to poor communication from senior management.

Common collocations
  • diagnosis of [a problem]
  • thorough diagnosis
  • accurate diagnosis
  • clear diagnosis
  • make a diagnosis
Synonyms
  • analysis

    broader term; analysis can describe a problem without identifying its cause, while diagnosis implies finding the root cause

  • investigation

    focuses on the process of looking for information rather than the conclusion

  • troubleshooting

    more hands-on and practical; common in computing and engineering

Grammar Patterns

diagnosis + of + [problem/situation]

make + a diagnosis

Usage Note

This sense extends the medical meaning to any field where identifying the root cause of a problem is essential. It is especially frequent in computing (software diagnosis), engineering (mechanical diagnosis), and business (organisational diagnosis).

Common Mistakes

We need a diagnosis about the budget problem.
We need a diagnosis of the budget problem.
the correct preposition is always 'of', not 'about'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Diagnosis, prognosis, examination, and assessment are all connected to medical evaluation but differ in purpose and timing. A diagnosis identifies what disease or condition a patient currently has by examining symptoms and test results. A prognosis, by contrast, predicts the likely course and outcome of that condition — it looks forward, not at the present situation. An examination is the physical process a doctor performs (listening to the heart, checking reflexes, ordering scans) to gather the data needed for a diagnosis. An assessment is broader: it can cover the patient's overall health, living situation, or risk factors, not just the identification of a disease. For example: 'The doctor's examination revealed a heart murmur, and her diagnosis was aortic stenosis. The prognosis was good with surgery, but a full assessment of the patient's fitness for the operation was needed first.'

diagnosis ↗prognosisexamination ↗assessment ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • disease diagnosis
  • cancer diagnosis
  • infection diagnosis
  • problem diagnosis
  • system diagnosis

Adverbs

Phrases

  • make a diagnosis
  • reach a diagnosis
  • confirm a diagnosis
  • rule out a diagnosis
  • diagnosis is confirmed by [test]

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Diagnosis comes from the Greek word 'diagnōsis' (διάγνωσις), meaning 'a distinguishing, discernment'. It was formed from 'diá' (apart, through) and 'gnōsis' (knowledge, knowing). The medical sense entered English in the 1600s, and the general meaning of identifying the cause of any problem developed in the 1800s.