noun General Slang

agnostication

· noun · medical

A doctor's polished shrug when a dying patient asks how long they've got.

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Definitions

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A pun on 'prognostication' welded to 'agnostic'. The vague, hedged non-answer a doctor gives when someone asks 'How long, doc?' and the honest reply is 'I genuinely don't know.' Dressed-up uncertainty with a stethoscope around its neck.

“I asked for a number and got pure agnostication — weeks to months, possibly longer.”
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agnostication In A Sentence

I asked for a number and got pure agnostication — weeks to months, possibly longer.

Origin & Usage

Medical-profession word-play on prognostication + agnostic.

People Also Ask

What does "agnostication" mean?

It's a doctor's polished, non-committal shrug when a dying patient asks how long they have left.

How do you use "agnostication" in a sentence?

"When she asked for a timeframe, all she got was agnostication."

Why do doctors use agnostication?

It's a way to answer an impossible-to-predict question honestly without giving a false number, since prognosis timing is genuinely uncertain.

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