untreatable

adjective
un·​treat·​able | \ ˌən-ˈtrē-tə-bəl How to pronounce untreatable (audio) \

Definition of untreatable

: not yielding or responsive to medical treatment : not treatable an untreatable disease These infections cause an untreatable degeneration of the nervous system …— Jared Diamond The location of the cancer rendered him untreatable by further surgery.— Nancy J. Kubel

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Other Words from untreatable

untreatably \ ˌən-​ˈtrē-​tə-​blē How to pronounce untreatably (audio) \ adverb

Examples of untreatable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Late in life, Buoniconti battled a devastating and untreatable neurodegenerative disease that was most likely CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Los Angeles Times, "Nick Buoniconti, former Miami Dolphin great and Hall of Fame linebacker, dies at 78," 31 July 2019 Kymera wants to use the body’s innate ability to break down and recycle proteins and redirect it to target untreatable diseases. Jonathan Saltzman, BostonGlobe.com, "Weeks after Kymera signed $70m deal with Vertex, the Cambridge biotech’s CEO is out," 15 July 2019 After re-tooling its research program, the company spent a decade developing Ingrezza, a treatment for a previously untreatable disorder called Tardive dyskinesia. Brittany Meiling, San Diego Union-Tribune, "4 San Diego companies that grew billions (and billions) while you weren’t looking," 8 July 2019 In 2011 a survey of infectious-diseases specialists in America, for example, found that more than 60% had seen a pan-resistant, untreatable bacterial infection in the past year. The Economist, "Attack of the superbugs: July 2041," 5 July 2019 Despite being left with a 13-inch scar on her stomach, Grunewald's cancer returned as small tumors in her liver and was untreatable through surgery. Chris Chavez, SI.com, "Running Community Honors Gabe Grunewald After Inspirational Battle With Cancer," 11 June 2019 In a particularly impressive demonstration in 2012, the treatment caused long-term remission with few side effects in patients with a metastatic cancer that was usually considered untreatable. Quanta Magazine, "Nobel Prize Awarded for Cancer Immunotherapy," 1 Oct. 2018 The jury is still out on how gene therapies, which potentially offer one-time cures for previously untreatable diseases, should be priced. Denise Roland, WSJ, "Novartis CEO Bets on Cutting-Edge Science to Remake Drug Giant," 19 Nov. 2018 While the autoimmune response could require long-term treatments or result in death, in many cases, the therapy put otherwise untreatable cancers into remission, with no need for further CTLA-4-targeting treatments. John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Treatments that cause the immune system to attack cancer earn a Nobel," 1 Oct. 2018

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

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First Known Use of untreatable

1865, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for untreatable

untreatable

adjective
un·​treat·​able | \ -ˈtrēt-ə-bəl How to pronounce untreatable (audio) \

Medical Definition of untreatable

: not susceptible to medical treatment untreatable patients an untreatable disease