Word.ws English Dictionary

imaginary lat syndrome

Syllables: im·a·gin·a·ry lat syn·drome/ɪˌmæd͡ʒɪn(ə)ɹi ˈlæt ˌsɪndɹəʊm/US/ɪˌmæd͡ʒɪˌnɛɹi ˈlæt ˌsɪndɹoʊm/

imaginary lat syndrome noun: a tendency for one to adopt a posture as if one had larger latissimus dorsi muscles than one actually has, especially a posture where the arms are held away from the torso.

Noun

imaginary lat syndrome (uncountable)

  1. (derogatory, humorous) A tendency for one to adopt a posture as if one had larger latissimus dorsi muscles than one actually has, especially a posture where the arms are held away from the torso.
    • Neophytes, for example, risk being ridiculed by other gym members if they walk this way: ‘Aghh, look at him! He’s got ILS [Imaginary Lat Syndrome]’.2001, Lee F. Monaghan, Bodybuilding, Drugs and Risk, London; New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 42
    • [Brendan] Ranford does not have washboard abs, like many of his prospect camp counterparts, and he does not walk around with Imaginary Lat Syndrome — or a deliberate, imposing gait to impress or attract.2011 July 13, Frank Seravalli, “Ranford tackling some weighty issues”, in Philadelphia Daily News, page 48

Examples of imaginary lat syndrome in a sentence

  • Not everyone who does regular resistance training has to end up with tight muscles, inflexible joints, and a bad case of imaginary lat syndrome.2015 March 19, Michelle Churchill, “Using your body weight to work out”, in Cape Life, Cape Coral, Fla.: The News-Press Media Group, page...
  • ILS, or Imaginary Lat Syndrome, became popular in the late 1980s when pro wrestling peaked and every guy wanted to be like Hulk Hogan.2017, Andrew Ginsburg, Pumping Irony: How to Build Muscle, Lose Weight, and Have the Last Laugh, Skyhorse Publishing, →ISBN:

Synonyms of imaginary lat syndrome

Origin of imaginary lat syndrome

From imaginary + lat (“(slang) latissimus dorsi muscle”) + syndrome.

Questions about imaginary lat syndrome

What does imaginary lat syndrome mean?
Imaginary lat syndrome means a tendency for one to adopt a posture as if one had larger latissimus dorsi muscles than one actually has, especially a posture where the arms are held away from the torso.
How do you use imaginary lat syndrome in a sentence?
Not everyone who does regular resistance training has to end up with tight muscles, inflexible joints, and a bad case of imaginary lat syndrome.
What part of speech is imaginary lat syndrome?
Imaginary lat syndrome is a noun.
How do you pronounce imaginary lat syndrome?
Imaginary lat syndrome is pronounced /ɪˌmæd͡ʒɪn(ə)ɹi ˈlæt ˌsɪndɹəʊm/ (UK).

Words near imaginary lat syndrome in the dictionary

  1. imaginary axes
  2. imaginary axis
  3. imaginary friend
  4. imaginary friends
  5. imaginary geometry
  6. imaginary lat syndrome
  7. imaginary museum
  8. imaginary museums
  9. imaginary number
  10. imaginary numbers
  11. imaginary part

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: imaginary lat syndrome (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-imaginary lat syndrome.wav.

Cite this entry: “imaginary lat syndrome.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/imaginary_lat_syndrome. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.