symptom
/ˈsɪm(p)təm/
A symptom is a visible or felt manifestation of an invisible underlying cause. It is the "smoke" that alerts you to the "fire." Unlike a 'sign' (which can be neutral), a symptom almost always carries a negative connotation, suggesting that something is wrong, broken, or diseased. In medical contexts, it refers to subjective experiences reported by a patient. In social or economic contexts, it describes surface-level problems that point toward a systemic failure. Using 'symptom' instead of 'result' implies that the issue is part of a larger, more complex pathology that needs diagnosing.
💬Casual Conversation
Is the server lagging for you? I think it's a symptom of our bandwidth scaling issues.
It's just crashed. Honestly, this whole legacy system is falling apart.
Meanings
A physical or mental feature which is regarded as indicating a condition of disease.
"High fever is a common symptom of the flu."
A sign or indication of something, typically something undesirable.
"The rise in unemployment is a symptom of a deeper economic crisis."