Word
diagnostic
Phoneticsdi·ag·nos·tic, stress on the third syllable
US/ˌdaɪəɡˈnɑstɪk/
UK/dˌaɪəɡnˈɒstɪk/
Definitions
01medical/technical identification
B2 · Upper Intermediate Medicine Technical
adj. used to help identify a disease or a technical problem.
adj. relating to or used in the identification of a medical condition or a technical malfunction.
“The doctor ordered a diagnostic test to see why the patient was feeling dizzy.”
“The hospital invested in advanced diagnostic imaging equipment to improve the accuracy of early-stage cancer detection.”
Usage
Often modifies nouns like 'test', 'tool', or 'procedure'.
Synonyms
02educational assessment
B2 · Upper Intermediate Education Academic
adj. a test given at the start of a course to see what you already know.
adj. designed to assess a learner's strengths, weaknesses, and prior knowledge before instruction begins.
“We took a diagnostic quiz on the first day of the Spanish class.”
“The diagnostic assessment revealed that while the students had strong vocabulary skills, they struggled significantly with complex grammatical structures.”
Synonyms
03a tool or test
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Computing Technical
n. a specific test or program used to find a fault or problem.
n. a procedure, program, or tool used to identify the cause of a problem or the nature of a condition.
“The mechanic ran a diagnostic on the car's engine to find the leak.”
“After the system crash, the IT department ran a full suite of diagnostics to determine if the failure was hardware-related or a software bug.”
Usage
Frequently used in the plural form 'diagnostics' when referring to computer routines.
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “diagnostic” in context.
Adjective
01. diagnostic capacity
“The hospital is working to increase its diagnostic capacity to handle more patients each day.”
adj + noun
Real-World Examples
“Improving accuracy is important because the average human error rates involving diagnostic images are estimated to range from 3 to 5 percent, which translates to about 40 million errors worldwide each year .” “If you do, then this, like other diagnostic tests in the public system, will be free.” Etymology
From Ancient Greek διαγνωστικός (diagnōstikós), adjective from διαγιγνώσκω (diagignṓskō, “to distinguish, diagnose”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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