inflammation

inflammation — noun

1. the body's natural defensive reaction in which injured or infected tissue become

1.nounB2
Definition

the body's natural defensive reaction in which injured or infected tissue becomes hot, red, swollen, and painful

Example

Nikos went to the clinic because the inflammation in his ankle was getting worse.

inflammation in [body part] — location pattern

Doctors gave Sirin medicine to reduce the inflammation in her elbow.

reduce inflammation — common verb collocation

Common collocations
  • chronic inflammation
  • acute inflammation
  • signs of inflammation
  • cause inflammation
  • reduce inflammation
  • inflammation subsides
Synonyms
  • swelling

    focuses only on the enlargement of tissue; less clinical than inflammation

  • redness

    describes just one visible symptom, not the whole condition

  • irritation

    a milder, less specific term that can describe non-medical discomfort

Grammar Patterns

inflammation + in/of + body part

Usage Note

Usually uncountable. Countable when referring to a specific instance, e.g. 'an inflammation of the throat'. Not the same as an infection — inflammation is the body's defensive reaction, which can occur with or without an infection.

Common Mistakes

She has an inflammation in her throat, so she needs antibiotics.
She has an infection in her throat, so she needs antibiotics.
Inflammation is the body's reaction to injury or germs; antibiotics treat infections, not the inflammation itself.

Word family

  • inflame
    verbB2
  • inflamed
    adjectiveB2
  • inflammatory
    adjectiveC1
  • anti-inflammatory
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Inflammation is the broad medical term for the body's defensive response to injury or germs, marked by redness, heat, swelling, and pain. Swelling (or oedema) is just one symptom — the physical enlargement of tissue — and can result from causes other than inflammation, such as a bruise or fluid retention. Irritation is much milder and less clinical: a scratchy fabric irritates the skin, but the skin is not necessarily inflamed. Infection is a different concept entirely — it refers to the invasion of the body by harmful bacteria, viruses, or other germs, which may trigger inflammation as a reaction. So an infected wound is usually inflamed, but inflammation can occur without infection (e.g. spraining an ankle).

inflammation ↗swellingirritationinfection ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • signs of inflammation
  • reduce the inflammation
  • cause inflammation

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Inflammation comes from Latin inflammare, meaning 'to set on fire' — from in- ('into') and flamma ('flame'). The medical sense draws on the idea that an inflamed body part feels hot and looks red, as though it were burning. The word entered English in the late 14th century, first used for the literal act of setting something ablaze, then extended to the medical meaning by the early 15th century.