acne
Americannoun
-
acnes
plural
noun
Usage
What is acne? Acne is a skin condition in which the skin’s sebaceous glands become clogged, infected, and inflamed. A more technical name for it is acne vulgaris. Acne commonly results in pimples—small inflammations or swellings of the skin that may or may not be filled with pus. More severe cases of acne can result in cysts and nodules that can leave scars. Acne most commonly affects the face, neck, and back. It is most common among teens and preteens due to changes in body chemistry during the period of development known as puberty, but adults can also get acne. Example: My skin is naturally oily, so I have to buy a specific face wash to help keep my acne under control.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of acne
1820–30; < New Latin < Late Greek aknás, a manuscript error for akmás, accusative plural of akmḗ facial eruption, probably to be identified with Greek akmḗ acme
Explanation
Acne is a skin condition that causes pimples or even a red rash to pop up on your face and sometimes your back and shoulders. Teenagers are often affected by acne, which is a real bummer when you’re trying to flirt. When you have acne, your skin is red and pimpled. Acne shows up on the face because that’s where you have more sebaceous glands, which are glands that produce oils to protect and annoy mammals. Acne also shows up on backs and shoulders, but it can really pop up anywhere on your body. Teenagers often get acne, because those fun hormonal surges of puberty cause an uptick in oil production. Adults can get acne as well. Great.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
On a recent summer day at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences, students ambled through yawns, braces and acne into their creative writing class.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
The Cleveland Clinic notes that symptoms instead vary widely and can include irregular menstrual cycles, elevated androgen levels, acne, hair growth or loss, infertility and metabolic complications.
From Salon ● May 16, 2026
Some also use blue light, a shorter wavelength on the light spectrum, which some studies suggest helps with acne.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
For my peers battling acne, eczema or chronic sensitivity, most of the remedies didn’t seem to work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
He had a big, round face that was covered with acne pits and scars.
From "Prisoner B-3087" by Alan Gratz
The devil’s in the details when we examine strain-level differences: acne-prone individuals tend to have a greater diversity of C. acnes strains—and that diversity includes more pathogenic strains.
From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2025
To edit the genome of C. acnes, the research team led by Marc Güell has focused on improving DNA delivery to the cell, DNA stability inside the cell, and gene expression.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 9, 2024
Working with mice and with human skin samples, the scientists found that C. acnes triggers fibroblasts to transform into fat cells that secrete an antimicrobial substance—along with inflammation-causing proteins.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 16, 2022
Which statement best describes the relationship between humans and P. acnes?
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
It is now generally acknowledged that the cause of this disease is the organism known as bacillus acnes.
From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
