Meaning & use
sun poisoning
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablemedical
A severe reaction to too much sun, with blistering skin, fever, chills or nausea, beyond ordinary sunburn.
Grammar: No plural and no a: she had sun poisoning, not a sun poisoning.
Patterns
- get sun poisoning
- suffer from sun poisoning
After a day on the boat without sunscreen, he ended up with sun poisoning and spent the night shivering.
Blisters, a headache and fever can be signs of sun poisoning.
She was treated for sun poisoning at a clinic near the beach.
noununcountableinformal
An itchy rash or allergic reaction that some people develop after sunlight touches their skin.
Grammar: Used without an article, often when people are describing a rash after sun exposure.
Patterns
- develop sun poisoning
- a rash from sun poisoning
Some medicines make you prone to sun poisoning, so read the label.
Her sun poisoning showed up as red bumps on her arms after the hike.
He has had sun poisoning every summer since he moved south.
Common combinations
- get sun poisoning
- You can get sun poisoning in just a few hours at high altitude.
- severe sun poisoning
- Severe sun poisoning may need hospital care.
- symptoms of sun poisoning
- Nausea is one of the symptoms of sun poisoning.
- treat sun poisoning
- Doctors treat sun poisoning with fluids and cool compresses.
- prevent sun poisoning
- Hats and sunscreen help prevent sun poisoning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sunburn
- Sunburn is the ordinary red, sore skin from too much sun, while sun poisoning describes a much more serious reaction.
- sunstroke
- Sunstroke is overheating of the body from the sun, not a skin reaction, so it affects the head and temperature more than the skin.
- heatstroke
- Heatstroke is a dangerous rise in body temperature that can happen without any sun at all.
- photosensitivity
- Photosensitivity is the formal medical term for an abnormal skin reaction to light.
Word family
- sunburn noun
- red, painful skin from too much sun
- sunburned adjective
- having skin damaged by the sun
- poisoning noun
- harm caused by a toxic substance
- sunscreen noun
- lotion that protects skin from the sun
Commonly confused: sun poisoning or sunstroke?
sun poisoning vs sunstroke
Sunstroke is a heat illness with dizziness and high temperature, whereas sun poisoning mainly affects the skin and causes blistering or rashes.
Practice
After falling asleep on the beach, Mia developed blisters, a fever and chills, which her doctor called ______.
Choose one answer.
Sun poisoning is a severe reaction to sun with blisters and fever. A tan is harmless, and jet lag and frostbite have different causes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sun poisoning”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.