sunburnt

sunburnt — adjective

1. describes skin that has turned red and feels painful or hot because of staying t

1.adjective
Definition

describes skin that has turned red and feels painful or hot because of staying too long in strong sunlight without protection; the word can also be used about skin that has become very brown from regularly spending time in the sun.

Example

Aylin fell asleep on the beach and woke up with sunburnt shoulders that felt hot.

collocation: sunburnt shoulders

The children came home from the hiking trip with sunburnt noses and bright red cheeks.

collocation: sunburnt nose / cheeks

Common collocations
  • get sunburnt
  • sunburnt skin
  • sunburnt shoulders
  • sunburnt nose
  • sunburnt arms
  • sunburnt face
  • badly sunburnt
Synonyms
  • sunburned

    same meaning; the standard spelling in American English, also used in British English

  • tanned

    only covers the darker-skin meaning, without the pain or redness

  • burned

    more general; can describe any heat or chemical burn, not just sun

Antonyms
  • pale

    light-coloured skin that has not been darkened by the sun

  • fair

    describes naturally light skin that burns easily

Usage Note

More common in British English; American English typically uses 'sunburned'. The sense can describe either painful overexposure or a deep suntan — context tells you which. Frequently used in the pattern 'get sunburnt'.

Common Mistakes

I got sunburnt yesterday in the garden, so now I have a beautiful tan.
I got sunburnt yesterday
my shoulders are still sore.' — 'sunburnt' for painful redness and 'tanned' for pleasant colouring are usually kept separate; using 'sunburnt' for a desirable tan can confuse listeners.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Sunburnt' and 'sunburned' are spelling variants of the same adjective — 'sunburnt' is more common in British English, while 'sunburned' is standard in American English. 'Tanned' describes skin that has become darker from sun exposure but without the pain or redness; a person can be tanned without being sunburnt. 'Burned' is a much broader term that covers any injury from heat, fire, or chemicals — saying 'my skin is burned' does not tell the listener that the sun was the cause. Use 'sunburnt' or 'sunburned' when you want to specify that strong sunlight caused the redness and soreness.

sunburned ↗tanned ↗burned

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • get sunburnt

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed by combining 'sun' (the star that gives light and warmth) with 'burnt', the past participle of 'burn'. The word has been used since the 1500s to describe skin affected by the sun.