What does hyperthermia mean?
Hyperthermia is the medical term for an abnormally high body temperature. It commonly occurs when the body is exposed to excessive heat, loses heat inadequately, or cannot regulate its temperature during strenuous activity. Unlike a fever, which is a regulated response to illness such as infection, hyperthermia usually describes a temperature that has risen beyond the body's normal controlling range. Mild cases may involve sweating, weakness, headache, and dizziness, while severe hyperthermia can lead to confusion, organ damage, and death. The word is also used in specialized medical contexts, including exertional hyperthermia and malignant hyperthermia, a rare reaction to particular anesthetic medicines. In journalism and public health communication, hyperthermia is useful because it names the dangerous physiological condition rather than merely describing that someone feels hot. Its importance has grown with increasingly intense heatwaves, although anyone can develop it in sufficiently demanding conditions.
nounAn abnormally high body temperature, usually resulting from excessive heat exposure, strenuous exertion, or illness. The term is also used broadly for the dangerous condition in which body temperature rises beyond the body's normal regulatory capacity.
- An abnormally high body temperature, especially one caused by excessive environmental heat, strenuous exertion, or impaired heat regulation.
"The runner was treated for heat-induced hyperthermia after collapsing in the intense summer heat."
"The festival medics treated several cases of hyperthermia caused by the heat and dehydration."
"Malignant hyperthermia is a rare, life-threatening reaction to certain anesthetic drugs."
The plural is uncommon; the singular form is normally used when referring to the condition in general.
"The report documented cases of hyperthermia among workers during the heatwave."
Hyperthermia is the point at which heat stops being merely uncomfortable and becomes a medical emergency.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hyperthermia come from?
Hyperthermia combines the Greek prefix hyper-, meaning 'over' or 'excessive', with thermē, meaning 'heat'. These elements entered English through medical and scientific vocabulary, which frequently uses Greek roots to name bodily conditions. The word shares this root with forms such as thermometer and thermal, and it is related in concept to the older terms hyperpyrexia and pyrexia.
Related word forms
How hyperthermia is actually used
This is primarily a medical and technical term. In general usage, it is more precise than simply saying that someone is 'overheated', though it should not be used as a substitute for a diagnosis.
Easily confused with hyperthermia
Fever is a regulated rise in body temperature, often in response to infection, whereas hyperthermia generally refers to an uncontrolled or excessive rise in body temperature.
Heatstroke is a severe, potentially life-threatening form of heat illness associated with very high body temperature, while hyperthermia describes the abnormally high temperature more broadly.