What does sunburn mean?
Sunburn is the term for skin damage caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or other sources. The condition may produce redness, warmth, tenderness, peeling, or blistering, although the extent of the reaction varies with skin type, intensity of exposure, and the use of sunscreen. As a noun, sunburn describes the injury itself: someone may get, have, or suffer from a sunburn. As a verb, it describes the process of developing the condition, as in "Her skin burns and sunburns after a day outdoors." The word is familiar in everyday English and carries the practical associations of sun safety, heat, and outdoor recreation. It is distinct from sunstroke, which refers to a systemic heat illness rather than damage confined to the skin. Although sunburn is commonly linked with bright summer weather, ultraviolet exposure can also cause it on cloudy days or at high altitudes.
Injury and inflammation of the skin caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
"Her legs were covered by a sunburn after the hike."
Usually countable, with plurals such as sunburns; commonly used with get, have, suffer from, and severe.
To develop sunburn or cause one's skin to become sunburned.
"I always sunburn when I forget to wear sunscreen."
Most often used intransitively, though it can also be used transitively in constructions such as "the sun burned my skin."
The plural sunburns is used when referring to multiple instances of the condition or to separate cases of skin damage.
"The hikers returned with painful sunburns across their shoulders and backs."
A sunburn can happen on a cloudy day, because UVA radiation can penetrate cloud cover and still damage exposed skin.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sunburn come from?
Sunburn is a compound formed from the English words sun and burn. Both elements are Germanic in origin: sun descends from Old English sunne, while burn descends from the Old English verb byrnan, meaning to be consumed or injured by fire or heat. The compound developed as a name for the skin damage that results from strong sunlight, using the idea of the sun's rays burning the skin.
Related word forms
How sunburn is actually used
As a noun, sunburn is normally used with a determiner such as "a" or "her". As a verb, it is commonly intransitive, as in "I sunburn easily," while the related adjectives sunburned and sunburnt describe someone who has developed sunburn.
Easily confused with sunburn
A sunburn is damage and inflammation of the skin, whereas sunstroke is a potentially serious heat illness affecting the body's temperature regulation and nervous system.