subclinical

/sʌbˈklɪn.ɪ.kəl/ (bre, ipa) · /sʌbˈklɪn.ɪ.kəl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌsəb-ˈkli-ni-kəl/ (ame, mw)

subclinical — adjective

  • subclinicalpositive
  • more subclinicalcomparative
  • most subclinicalsuperlative

1. describes a medical condition or disease that exists inside the body but produce

1.形容詞C1
釋義

describes a medical condition or disease that exists inside the body but produces no noticeable signs or symptoms that a person or a routine check-up would normally detect.

例句

A subclinical infection may still trigger an immune response that the patient never notices.

subclinical + infection; attributive use

Doctors discovered a subclinical thyroid condition when routine blood tests were run on Astrid.

同義詞
  • asymptomatic

    more general term—any condition with no symptoms, whether detectable by tests or not

  • latent

    implies the condition is present but inactive; may become active later

  • inapparent

    broader, not limited to medicine; means not clearly visible or obvious

  • silent

    used informally for conditions that cause no symptoms, e.g. silent heart attack

反義詞
  • symptomatic

    producing noticeable symptoms

  • clinical

    at the stage where symptoms are visible and a diagnosis can be made by examination

  • overt

    clearly present and observable

文法句型

subclinical + noun (infection / disease / condition)

be + subclinical

用法筆記

Commonly used before a noun describing a medical condition (infection, disease, inflammation). The condition is real and detectable through lab tests or imaging, but the patient experiences no symptoms.

常見錯誤

❌He had a subclinical disease and felt very sick.
✅He had a subclinical disease and did not feel sick at all.
💡subclinical specifically means there are no noticeable symptoms.
❌The test showed a subclinical infection, meaning it is not there.
✅The test showed a subclinical infection, meaning it is present but at a level too low to cause symptoms.
💡subclinical does not mean absent; it means present without visible signs.