What does windburned mean?
Windburned describes skin that has become red, sore, dry, or chapped after prolonged exposure to wind. It is especially associated with cold, dry, or strong winds encountered on exposed mountains, coastlines, deserts, and open water. As an adjective, it commonly follows a form of the verb “be,” as in “Their faces were badly windburned,” and it may also appear before a noun, especially in phrases such as “windburned skin.” The same form can function as a verb when the affected body part is named: “The wind windburned her cheeks.” Although windburned resembles sunburned, the causes differ: wind produces the injury in this case, while sunburn specifically results from ultraviolet exposure. Windburned is therefore useful for describing a distinctive form of outdoor irritation that may otherwise be overlooked or inaccurately labeled as sunburn. British English also commonly uses the variant windburnt.
Of skin: reddened, irritated, dried, or chapped because of exposure to the wind.
"She wore a scarf to protect her windburned face."
Used predicatively or attributively; windburnt is the usual British variant.
To injure or irritate the skin by exposing it to the wind.
"The cold wind windburned the exposed hikers."
Usually transitive, with the affected skin or body part as its object; it also serves as the past participle of windburn.
Windburned is sunburn's cooler-looking cousin: sometimes the wind alone leaves the evidence.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of windburned
Windburned is an English compound formed from “wind” and “burn,” with “burn” extended metaphorically to mean injure or damage through exposure. The form developed alongside related expressions such as sunburn and the British variant windburnt. Its two components belong respectively to the long-established native English word “wind” and the Germanic verb “burn,” whose derivatives also include combustion in English.
Related word forms
How windburned is actually used
This is neutral descriptive vocabulary, although it is especially common in travel, sailing, mountaineering, and other contexts involving prolonged exposure. It is used most naturally as a predicative or attributive adjective; windburnt is widespread in British English.
Easily confused with windburned
Windburned is caused chiefly by wind, whereas sunburned is caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun, though both can cause reddening and soreness.