1 atony | Definition of atony
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

atony

noun
at·​o·​ny | \ ˈa-tə-nē How to pronounce atony (audio) \

Definition of atony

: lack of physiological tone especially of a contractile organ

Examples of atony in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 Bleeding during or after childbirth: Uterine complications during or after childbirth, like when the organ doesn’t contract properly after the baby is out (this is known as uterine atony), can lead to severe hemorrhaging. — Zahra Barnes, SELF, "Lena Dunham Had a Total Hysterectomy to Treat Her Endometriosis," 14 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'atony.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of atony

1693, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for atony

Late Latin atonia, from Greek, from atonos without tone, from a- + tonos tone

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for atony

atony

noun
at·​o·​ny | \ ˈat-ᵊn-ē How to pronounce atony (audio) \
variants: or atonia \ (ˈ)ā-​ˈtō-​nē-​ə How to pronounce atonia (audio) \
plural atonies or atonias

Medical Definition of atony

: lack of physiological tone especially of a contractile organ

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!