Hyperthermia

//ˌhaɪpə(ɹ)ˈθɜː(ɹ)miə// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The condition of having an abnormally high body temperature caused by a failure of the heat-regulating mechanisms of the body to deal with the heat coming from the environment. countable, uncountable

    "Autopsy results revealed that Braydon was generally malnourished and thin. His cause of death was hyperthermia due to the extreme heat, which would have “caused extreme discomfort and difficulty breathing as he died.”"

  2. 2
    abnormally high body temperature; sometimes induced (as in treating some forms of cancer) wordnet
  3. 3
    The therapeutic application of heat to a patient, especially as treatment to cancer. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
deliriumfeverfireflushheatheatstroke

Example

More examples

"Autopsy results revealed that Braydon was generally malnourished and thin. His cause of death was hyperthermia due to the extreme heat, which would have “caused extreme discomfort and difficulty breathing as he died.”"

Etymology

From New Latin, from Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér, “over”) + θέρμη (thérmē, “heat”) + -ία (-ía). By surface analysis, hyper- + -therm + -ia.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.