distended

[ dih-sten-did ]
See synonyms for distended on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. increased, as in size, volume, etc.; expanded; dilated: the distended nostrils of the terrified horse.

  2. swollen, by or as by internal pressure, out of normal size or shape; protuberant: distended wineskins; the distended arteries of his neck.

Origin of distended

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; distend + -ed2

Other words from distended

  • dis·tend·ed·ly, adverb
  • dis·tend·ed·ness, noun

Words Nearby distended

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use distended in a sentence

  • Which means they’re likely to travel north, leading to significant nausea and vomiting and a very distended or bloated belly.

  • In two or three seconds she had become suggestive of an animal, her nostrils distended, the upper lip drawn back from her teeth.

    The Winning Clue | James Hay, Jr.
  • The Countess Lavinia slowly turned her head and fixed her distended eyes on the speaker.

    The Rake's Progress | Marjorie Bowen
  • He thought her speech outrageous; his nostrils distended a little and his eyes darkened.

    The Rake's Progress | Marjorie Bowen
  • The stomach was much distended, and when I state this fact I am sure it will excite much curiosity as to the reason why.

  • By way of doing so, he set up a stout fence-rail between his landlord's distended jaws, and went away.