What does stertorous mean?
Stertorous describes breathing that is loud, noisy, and labored, often involving snoring sounds during inhalation and exhalation. In clinical medicine, stertorous respirations can indicate partial or complete obstruction of the airway and may occur with reduced consciousness or severe respiratory distress. The word is consequently associated with urgency and abnormality rather than ordinary quiet breathing. It can also be used more informally to characterize someone who is snoring loudly or breathing heavily and unevenly. In such contexts, the expression may carry a somewhat dramatic or humorous tone, but its medical sense remains the most important and technically precise. Stertorous is therefore useful when the character of someone’s breathing itself is significant, especially when describing an emergency assessment or a severe respiratory condition.
adjectiveCharacterized by loud, snoring, or labored breathing. The term is commonly used in medical contexts to describe difficult breathing accompanied by noisy inhalation and exhalation.
- Characterized by noisy, snoring, or labored breathing, especially as a sign of respiratory distress or airway obstruction.
- Informally, characterized by loud, irregular, or labored snoring.
"The patient's stertorous breathing suggested that the airway was becoming obstructed."
"The patient became increasingly agitated and developed stertorous breathing."
"The runner was so exhausted that his breathing sounded stertorous."
A single loud, snoring breath can be more informative than many quiet ones: stertorous breathing is often a medical warning sign of airway obstruction or severe respiratory distress.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stertorous come from?
The word comes through Latin stertor, meaning “a snoring sound” or “snoring,” with the adjective formed from the same Latin stem. English stertorous developed in the 17th century in medical writing, where it described the noisy breathing associated with serious illness or unconsciousness. The Latin root is related to the verb stertĕre, meaning “to snore,” and also underlies English words such as stertor and stertoration.
Related word forms
How stertorous is actually used
In medicine, the term is usually used to describe loud, labored respirations associated with partial or complete airway obstruction. Outside medical writing, it can be used figuratively for very loud or conspicuous snoring, though it may sound clinical or exaggerated.
Easily confused with stertorous
Both words begin with “st,” but stertorous describes noisy or labored breathing, whereas strenuous means requiring great effort.