- past participle of swell.
swollen
Americanverb
adjective
-
tumid or enlarged by or as if by swelling
-
turgid or bombastic
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of swollen
First recorded in 1300–50, for the adjective
Explanation
When something's swollen, it's puffed up, rounded, and misshapen. If you've sprained your ankle, it's likely to be swollen and may look more like a grapefruit than the body part you know and love. When something swells up, it's swollen, and that can be anything from knees and glands to pregnant bellies. You can also use swollen more poetically: you can describe someone with a big ego as having a swollen head. A stormy ocean with big, angry waves is a swollen sea. And a state with out-of-control spending has a swollen budget, inflated by special projects and other expenses that there’s not enough money to pay for.
Vocabulary lists containing swollen
Beowulf vocabulary
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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List 9
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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.
After the match, Williams' knee was swollen and medical staff offered crutches to aid her walking - which she is said to have declined.
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026
But the person's features were so swollen that she couldn't be sure it was her.
From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026
Over Christmas, he landed in the emergency room after waking up with a swollen face and tongue.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026
Richards’ ankle was so swollen after the injury that he had to use crutches.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
He was stressed, suffering the chest pains and swollen joints of recurrent rheumatic fever.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
