Phrase guide

differential diagnosis

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The process of determining which disease, from a set of possible candidates, is causing a patient's symptoms.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A list of possible causes of a primary symptom or a collection of symptoms.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

Examples

  • 2000 August 15, Harry D. McKinnon and Thomas Howard, “Evaluating the Febrile Patient with a Rash”, in American Family Physician, American Academy of Family Physicians, page 804, The differential diagnosis for febrile patients with a rash is extensive.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a systematic method of diagnosing a disorder (e.g., headache) that lacks unique symptoms or signs

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: medical diagnosis

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 鑒別診斷 /鉴别诊断 (jiànbié zhěnduàn) — process of diagnosis from a set of candidates
  • Czech: diferenciální diagnóza — process of diagnosis from a set of candidates
  • Dutch: differentiële diagnose — process of diagnosis from a set of candidates
  • Dutch: differentiaaldiagnose — process of diagnosis from a set of candidates
  • Finnish: erotusdiagnostiikka — process of diagnosis from a set of candidates
  • Greek: διαφοροδιάγνωση (diaforodiágnosi) — process of diagnosis from a set of candidates
  • Hungarian: differenciáldiagnózis — process of diagnosis from a set of candidates
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鑒別診斷 /鉴别诊断 (jiànbié zhěnduàn) — list of possible causes
  • Dutch: differentiële diagnose — list of possible causes
  • Finnish: erotusdiagnoosi — list of possible causes
  • Indonesian: diagnosis banding — list of possible causes
  • Indonesian: diagnosis diferensial — list of possible causes
  • Indonesian: diagnosis pembanding — list of possible causes