cardiovascular
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of cardiovascular
Explanation
Use the adjective cardiovascular when you're talking about the circulatory system in general or the heart specifically. Cardiovascular exercise gets your blood pumping and is good for your heart. Cardio- means "heart," from the Greek kardia, and vascular refers to blood circulation, from a Latin root meaning "vessels or tubes." So anything cardiovascular is related to the heart muscle and the blood it pumps through arteries, veins, and capillaries. Cardiovascular diseases affect the structure of the heart itself or the vessels that help it move blood through the body. Things like not smoking and regularly moving your body can help you keep your cardiovascular system healthy.
Vocabulary lists containing cardiovascular
Body Language: Cor, Cord, Cardio ("Heart")
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Physical Education - Middle School and High School
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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.
The trial of adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity or who are overweight and at increased cardiovascular risk met the primary objective of non-inferiority versus insulin glargine, Lilly said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Now, regulators are directing Lilly to conduct an additional trial to evaluate the risk of drug-induced liver injury and potential for major adverse cardiovascular events in patients taking Foundayo.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
The condition affects about one in 40 adults across the UK and EU and has been linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026
She has also been teaching emergency departments across the world about the large impact space travel can have on an astronaut's body, including the immune and cardiovascular systems.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
Blood was pooling in my lower body because my cardiovascular system had forgotten what it was like to pump blood “uphill,” there being neither “up” nor “down” in space.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
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.
