hypoxic

American

[hahy-pok-sik] / haɪˈpɒk sɪk /

adjective

having or caused by a very low level of oxygen.

The hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico is caused by excess nutrients, mainly nitrogen from fertilizer runoff.
Some brain structures are believed to be particularly vulnerable to hypoxic damage during birth.

Etymology

Origin of hypoxic

First recorded in 1940–45; hypox(ia) ( def. ) + -ic ( def. )

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 actor died of “acute on chronic hypoxic respiratory failure,” according to her death certificate obtained by People.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025

By the time she was transferred to Croydon University Hospital, she had suffered a hypoxic brain injury.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

Adrian Ballinger, who heads another expedition team climbing Everest from the Chinese side to the north, also makes his clients undergo pre-acclimatisation training like using hypoxic tents to shorten time on the mountains.

From BBC • May 21, 2025

Urea-rich agricultural runoff and municipal wastewater discharge cause eutrophication-harmful algal blooms and hypoxic dead zones that adversely impact the aquatic environment and human health.

From Science Daily • Jan. 18, 2024

Lounging in the sun at 28,700 feet inside my thick down suit, gazing across the roof of the world in a hypoxic stupor, I completely lost track of time.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023