acne
noun
Simple meaning
A skin condition, usually of the face, that is common in adolescents.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
akneeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈækni
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
pathology
A skin condition, usually of the face, that is common in adolescents. It is characterised by red pimples, and is caused by the inflammation of sebaceous glands through bacterial infection.
A pattern of blemishes in an area of skin resulting from the skin condition.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (pathology) A skin condition, usually of the face, that is common in adolescents. It is characterised by red pimples, and is caused by the inflammation of sebaceous glands through bacterial infection.
This word specifically refers to a common skin condition, usually among teenagers, causing pimples and spots. It's a precise medical term, not just general 'bad skin' or 'blemishes'.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where you'll really hear it
Dermatologist visit
“We can discuss treatment options for your persistent acne.”
Teen magazine article
“Dealing with acne can be challenging, but clear skin is possible.”
Parental advice
“Remember to wash your face every day to help prevent acne.”
Where it naturally appears
- Medicine/healthcare
- Science
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use acne
- “Some teenagers get acne during puberty, which can be frustrating to deal with.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A skin disease of adults (more often women) in which blood vessels of the face enlarge resulting in a flushed appearance.
The most common form of acne.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- psoriasisnoun
- ointmentnoun
- dermatitisnoun
- eczemanoun
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.