sunburn

American  

[suhn-burn] / ˈsʌnˌbɜrn /

noun

1. inflammation of the skin caused by overexposure to the sun or a sunlamp.

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verb (used with or without object)

sunburned, sunburnt, sunburning

1. to affect or be affected with sunburn.

   An hour in the sun sunburned me severely. I sunburn easily.

sunburn British  

/ ˈsʌnˌbɜːn /

noun

1. Technical name: erythema solare.  inflammation of the skin caused by overexposure to the sun

2. another word for suntan

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unsunburned
  adjective
• well-sunburnt
  adjective
• sunburnt
  adjective
• well-sunburned
  adjective
• unsunburnt
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sunburn

First recorded in 1520–30; sun + burn ¹

Example Sentences

Instead, he reverted to being the gangly 24-year-old from the Italian Alps hoping to avoid a sunburn.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

“I like to think of this as a sunburn: The first day you get it, it’s really bad. Day after day, it does get a little bit better, but there’s still a burn.”

From MarketWatch • Jan. 26, 2026

UV radiation can injure DNA and generate oxidative stress in skin cells, which in turn triggers inflammation that causes the familiar redness, pain, and blistering of sunburn.

From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2025

If someone had lectured Jak Howells about the risks of sunburn a few years ago those warnings would likely have fallen on deaf - and probably sunburnt - ears.

From BBC • Aug. 3, 2025

He felt it on the back of his neck first, like a sunburn that suddenly bloomed into a burst of heat.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro