astigmatic
astigmatic Lexical Profile
astigmatic Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to, affected by, or exhibiting astigmatism, an optical defect in which light rays fail to converge to a single focal point, resulting in blurred or distorted vision.
"The optometrist prescribed special toric contact lenses to correct her astigmatic vision."
Designed to correct or compensate for astigmatism (especially of a lens).
"His new eyeglasses were fitted with custom astigmatic lenses for reading."
• noun
A person whose vision is affected by astigmatism.
"Modern laser eye surgery can significantly improve visual acuity for many astigmatics."
Word Nuance & Usage
In everyday medicine, 'astigmatic' describes the presence of astigmatism (blurred vision due to irregular corneal curvature), whereas in technical optics an 'astigmatic' or 'anastigmatic' lens may sometimes cause confusion because 'a-' + 'stigma' literally means 'not bringing to a single point'.
• Rhymes for astigmatic
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the mid-19th century by English polymath William Whewell from the Greek prefix a- ('without') and stigma (stem stigmat-, 'a point or mark'), referring to an eye or lens that fails to focus light rays to a single point.