hypertension

American  

[hahy-per-ten-shuhn] / ˌhaɪ pərˈtɛn ʃən /

noun

1. Pathology.

   1. elevation of the blood pressure, especially the diastolic pressure.

   2. an arterial disease characterized by this condition.

2. excessive or extreme emotional tenseness.

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hypertension British  

/ ˌhaɪpəˈtɛnsɪv, ˌhaɪpəˈtɛnʃən /

noun

1. pathol abnormally high blood pressure

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hypertension Scientific  

/ hī′pər-tĕn′shən /

1. Abnormally high blood pressure, especially in the arteries. High blood pressure increases the risk for heart attack and stroke.

2. Also called high blood pressure

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hypertension Cultural  

1. Abnormally high blood pressure.

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Other Word Forms

• antihypertension adjective
• hypertensive adjective

Etymology

Origin of hypertension

First recorded in 1890–95; hyper- + tension

Explanation

If you've got hypertension, you've got high blood pressure, and you're likely to be on medication to bring it down to a safe level. Hyper- is a prefix that means "over" or "beyond" — if you're hyper you're wildly energetic. Tension means "stretching" or "straining." Hypertension, therefore, means "straining beyond." With hypertension, your blood pressure is abnormally high, causing a strain on your blood vessels. This condition can result in serious health problems, such as heart attack and stroke.

Example Sentences

The drug is also used in infants to treat pulmonary hypertension due to its ability to widen blood vessels.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

ICE maintains that Ramos-Solano received consistent medical care during his detention, noting he had been diagnosed with diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension upon intake in February and was treated daily for those conditions.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Those conditions are pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary hypertension with interstitial lung disease.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

"I've had gestational diabetes and chronic hypertension," she explains, sitting on a bed at the Ramón González Coro maternity hospital.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

As in: Mom doesn’t want Dad eating salt, because too much of it increases the volume of blood, which can cause hypertension.

From "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander