dyspnea

IPA/dɪspˈniː.ə/
KK[dˌɪspnˈiə]IPA/ˈdɪsp.niː.ə/

dyspnea — noun

1. a medical condition in which a person finds it hard to breathe and feels as thou

1.nounC1
Definition

a medical condition in which a person finds it hard to breathe and feels as though they cannot take in enough air into their lungs

Example

The doctor asked the patient about her dyspnea during the walk to the bus stop.

After climbing the steep hill, Tuan experienced severe dyspnea and had to sit down.

collocation: experience + dyspnea

Common collocations
  • experience dyspnea
  • suffer from dyspnea
  • complain of dyspnea
  • severe dyspnea
  • acute dyspnea
  • exertional dyspnea
  • dyspnea on exertion
  • dyspnea worsens
  • dyspnea improves
  • episode of dyspnea
Synonyms
  • shortness of breath

    everyday term used by patients and non-specialists; less technical

  • breathlessness

    focuses on the sensation of not getting enough air; common in general usage

  • labored breathing

    describes the visible physical effort of breathing rather than the internal feeling

Antonyms
  • eupnea

    medical term for normal, effortless breathing; highly technical

  • easy breathing

    everyday antonym; not a medical term

Grammar Patterns

have/experience/suffer from dyspnea

dyspnea + verb (worsens/improves/occurs)

Usage Note

Primarily used in medical or clinical settings. In everyday conversation, the equivalent terms 'shortness of breath' or 'difficulty breathing' are more common. Often appears with the verbs 'experience,' 'have,' 'suffer from,' or 'complain of.'

Common Mistakes

He stopped breathing for 20 seconds due to dyspnea.
He stopped breathing for 20 seconds due to apnea.
'dyspnea' means difficult breathing, whereas 'apnea' means a complete stop in breathing.

Word family

  • dyspneic
    adjectiveC1
  • dyspnoea
    nounC1
  • dyspnoeic
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all three terms refer to the same underlying symptom, they differ in register and focus. 'Shortness of breath' (SOB) is the standard term used by both doctors and patients in clinical settings and everyday conversation — it is the most natural choice in most situations. 'Breathlessness' emphasizes the subjective feeling of not getting enough air and is common in general writing and informal speech ('She felt a sudden breathlessness after running up the stairs'). 'Labored breathing' focuses on the visible, physical struggle to breathe — the chest heaving, the use of extra muscles — and is often used by observers describing someone else's condition. For example, a doctor might ask 'Do you experience shortness of breath when walking uphill?', while a family member might say 'I could see his labored breathing from across the room.'

shortness of breathbreathlessnesslabored breathing

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • dyspnea on exertion
  • shortness of breath
  • difficulty breathing

Prepositions

  • on (exertion)
  • during (exercise)
  • at (rest)

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

The word comes from the Greek 'dyspnoia,' formed from 'dys-' (meaning 'bad, difficult') and 'pnoia' (meaning 'breathing'). It entered English through Latin 'dyspnoea' and has been used in medical writing since the 1600s. The alternative British spelling 'dyspnoea' preserves the original Greek 'oe' diphthong.

First known use

1681

1681, in the meaning defined above