Meaning & use
bariatric
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounmedical
Relating to the medical treatment of obesity and the health problems linked to it.
Grammar: Used mainly before nouns such as surgery, medicine, unit, and patient.
Patterns
- bariatric surgery
- bariatric medicine
- bariatric patient
- bariatric unit
After years of dieting, he decided to ask his doctor about bariatric surgery.
The hospital opened a bariatric unit with specially trained nurses.
Bariatric medicine focuses on treating obesity as a long-term condition, not a lack of willpower.
adjectivebefore a nounspecialist
Designed or suitable for people who are very overweight, especially equipment and furniture.
Grammar: Used before nouns for objects made to hold or support larger bodies.
Patterns
- bariatric equipment
- bariatric chair
- bariatric bed
The clinic installed bariatric chairs in every waiting room.
Ambulance services now carry bariatric stretchers that can hold much heavier patients.
Hotels are starting to offer bariatric beds for guests with larger bodies.
Common combinations
- bariatric surgery
- Bariatric surgery can lead to major weight loss, but it requires lifelong changes.
- bariatric patient
- The staff received training in how to move a bariatric patient safely.
- bariatric unit
- She was transferred to the bariatric unit after her operation.
- bariatric medicine
- He is a specialist in bariatric medicine at a large teaching hospital.
- bariatric equipment
- The gym bought bariatric equipment for members of all sizes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- obesity-related
- A broader everyday phrase; it can describe any condition linked to obesity, while bariatric refers specifically to medical treatment of obesity.
- weight-loss
- Common in general writing about diets and products; bariatric is the clinical term used by doctors and hospitals.
Word family
- bariatrics noun
- The branch of medicine that deals with obesity and its treatment.
Commonly confused: bariatric or bariatric? bariatric or geriatric?
bariatric vs bariatric
A common misspelling. The correct spelling is bariatric, with -riat- in the middle, not -riat- after bar-.
bariatric vs geriatric
Geriatric means relating to old age and the care of older people, while bariatric relates to obesity treatment.
Practice
The hospital has opened a new ward with special beds and lifts for very heavy patients. What is this ward most likely called?
Choose one answer.
Bariatric is the medical term for the treatment of obesity and the equipment and facilities for very overweight patients. Geriatric relates to older people, pediatric to children, and maternity to pregnancy and birth, so none of those fits the description.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bariatric”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.