What does "atherosclerosis" mean?

The clogging or hardening of arteries or blood vessels caused by plaques (accumulations of fatty deposits, usually cholesterol).

How do you pronounce "atherosclerosis"?

Pronounced //ˌæθɚoʊskləˈɹoʊsəs//.

Common synonyms include: angina, angina pectoris, angiosclerosis, aortic insufficiency, aortic stenosis, apoplectic stroke.

//ˌæθɚoʊskləˈɹoʊsəs// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Noun

1
The clogging or hardening of arteries or blood vessels caused by plaques (accumulations of fatty deposits, usually cholesterol). countable, uncountable
"Near-synonym: ASCVD"
2
a stage of arteriosclerosis involving fatty deposits (atheromas) inside the arterial walls, thus narrowing the arteries wordnet

"Atherosclerosis reduces the inner diameter of arteries."

From athero- + sclerosis.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.