Scrofulous
adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Of, related to, or suffering from scrofula (form of tuberculosis tending to cause enlarged lymph nodes and skin inflammation). dated
"On the ſurface of the water there floats a liquid bitumen, although it be every day ſcummed off, as it doth on the lake Aſphaltites in Judæa: The Inhabitants uſe it as pitch: it is alſo found to be an excellent vulnerary, and good in curing old cacoethic and ſcrophulous ulcers."
- 2 Having an unkempt, unhealthy appearance. figuratively
"Poor devil, he's gone to the dogs altogether. He's got some twopenny-halfpenny job in the medical at Alexandria—sanitary officer or something like that. I'm told he lives with an ugly old Greek woman and has half a dozen scrofulous kids."
- 3 Morally degenerate; corrupt. figuratively
"a scrofulous politician"
- 1 having a diseased appearance resembling scrofula wordnet
- 2 morally contaminated wordnet
- 3 afflicted with scrofula wordnet
Example
More examples"On the ſurface of the water there floats a liquid bitumen, although it be every day ſcummed off, as it doth on the lake Aſphaltites in Judæa: The Inhabitants uſe it as pitch: it is alſo found to be an excellent vulnerary, and good in curing old cacoethic and ſcrophulous ulcers."
Etymology
Borrowed from New Latin scrōfulōsus. Surface analysis: scrofula + -ous.
Related phrases
More for "scrofulous"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.