What does "asphyxia" mean?
Loss of consciousness due to the interruption of breathing and consequent anoxia.
Asphyxia
/æzˈfɪksiə/ noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Loss of consciousness due to the interruption of breathing and consequent anoxia.
- Grammar: asphyxia is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: anoxic asphyxia, asphyxial death, asphyxiation, asphyxiation death.
- Useful contrasts: adequate oxygenation, breather, breaths.
- Usage evidence: Asphyxia may result from choking, drowning, electric shock, or injury.
How to use "asphyxia"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "asphyxia" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "asphyxia" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "asphyxia" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "asphyxia" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "asphyxia" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "anoxic asphyxia" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "asphyxia", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Loss of consciousness due to the interruption of breathing and consequent anoxia. countable, uncountable
"Asphyxia may result from choking, drowning, electric shock, or injury."
- 2 a condition in which insufficient or no oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged on a ventilatory basis; caused by choking or drowning or electric shock or poison gas wordnet
- 3 Loss of consciousness due to the body's inability to deliver oxygen to its tissues, either by the breathing of air lacking oxygen or by the inability of the blood to carry oxygen. countable, uncountable
- 4 A condition in which an extreme decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the body leads to loss of consciousness or death. Replaced in the mid-20th century by the more specific terms anoxia, hypoxia, hypoxemia and hypercapnia. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Hypoxaemia [...is] a deficient oxygenation of the blood; asphyxia from defective oxygenation of the blood."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Asphyxia may result from choking, drowning, electric shock, or injury."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "asphyxia"?
Common synonyms include: anoxic asphyxia, asphyxial death, asphyxiation, asphyxiation death, asphyxiations, birth asphyxia.
How do you use "asphyxia" in a sentence?
Asphyxia may result from choking, drowning, electric shock, or injury.
How do you pronounce "asphyxia"?
Pronounced /æzˈfɪksiə/.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from New Latin asphyxia, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀσφυξία (asphuxía, “stopping of the pulse”).