hypoxia

[ hahy-pok-see-uh ]

/ haɪˈpɒk si ə /

Save This Word!

noun

Biology. a very low level of oxygen, as in an organic environment: The fish have developed a tolerance to the hypoxia of the swamp.

Pathology. an abnormally low amount of oxygen in the body tissues: Premature newborns are routinely placed in incubators to treat or prevent hypoxia.Compare anoxia (def. 2), hypoxemia.

COMPARE COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS

These are smilar words, and share related meanings, but their uses are very different. Click on the buttons to learn more about these commonly confused words.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of hypoxia

First recorded in 1940–45; hyp- + oxy-² + -ia

OTHER WORDS FROM hypoxia

hy·pox·ic, adjective

Words nearby hypoxia

hypovolemia, hypovolemic shock, hypovolia, hypoxanthine, hypoxemia, hypoxia, hypoxic, hypoxic hypoxia, hypoxic nephrosis, hypozeugma, hypozeuxis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use hypoxia in a sentence

But by the time the turn was executed the flight crew could have succumbed to hypoxia.
The Tripwire on Flight 370|Clive Irving|March 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hypoxia or anoxia or lack of oxygen could affect his memory.
Warren Commission (6 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

British Dictionary definitions for hypoxia

hypoxia

/ (haɪˈpɒksɪə) /

noun

deficiency in the amount of oxygen delivered to the body tissues

Derived forms of hypoxia

hypoxic (haɪˈpɒksɪk), adjective

Word Origin for hypoxia

C20: from hypo- + oxy- ² + -ia

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for hypoxia

hypoxia

[ hī-pŏk′sē-ə, hĭ- ]

Insufficient levels of oxygen in blood or tissue.

Other words from hypoxia

hy•pox′ic adj.