asthmatic
Americanadjective
noun
Usage
Rather than talking about an asthmatic or asthmatics , it is better to talk about a person with asthma , people with asthma
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of asthmatic
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin asthmaticus, from Greek asthmatikós, equivalent to asthmat- (stem of ásthma ) asthma + -ikos -ic
Explanation
An asthmatic is someone who has asthma. Asthmatic can also describe a whistling, wheezy sound or voice. Even if you don’t have asthma, don’t try to sneak up on people if your breathing is asthmatic because they’ll hear you coming! Asthma is a respiratory condition that causes breathing problems. An asthmatic is someone with asthma, but the word is also used to describe things related to asthma. An inhaler — which helps an asthmatic breathe — could be called asthmatic medicine. An asthmatic attack is a severe lack of breath. You can also say someone sounds asthmatic if they have a breathy, wheezing voice. Anyone who is out of breath sounds a little asthmatic.
Vocabulary lists containing asthmatic
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.
Asthmatic kids could now breathe easier, the text assured, and side effects were “usually mild” and “similar to a sugar pill.”
From Reuters • Jun. 27, 2023
While details of her passing were not disclosed, the obituary states memorial contributions to the Asthmatic Fund were welcome.
From Fox News • Jul. 5, 2021
The album, which he released on his own label, Asthmatic Kitty, hitchhikes enthusiastically through genres and styles, never settling on one sound.
From The Guardian • May 11, 2017
The title characters are the Brooklyn-based composer’s mother, who died of cancer in 2012, and his stepfather, who had a hand in founding Asthmatic Kitty, the record label most closely associated with Stevens.
From Washington Post • May 6, 2015
Asthmatic distress is caused by congestion of the terminals of the bronchial tubes, by which entrance of air into the cells is made difficult, even in some cases to the point of suffocation.
From The No Breakfast Plan and the Fasting-Cure by Dewey, Edward Hooker
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.
