anaerobic

adjective

an·​aer·​o·​bic ˌa-nə-ˈrō-bik  ˌan-ˌer-ˈō- 

1

a

: living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen

anaerobic respiration

anaerobic bacteria

b

: of, relating to, or being activity in which the body incurs an oxygen debt

anaerobic exercise

2

: relating to or induced by anaerobes

anaerobically

ˌa-nə-ˈrō-bi-k(ə-)lē 

ˌan-ˌer-ˈō-

adverb

Did you know?

In Greek, the prefix a- or an- means "not" or "without", and bios means "life". Anaerobic sports and exercise, such as gymnastics, weight lifting, and sprinting, are of high intensity but short duration, so they don't involve much oxygen intake. Anaerobic exercise triggers a different type of cell activity from aerobic exercise. As a result, it doesn't do much for your heart and lungs and it doesn't burn off fat; what it does do is build muscle. Anaerobic bacteria are bacteria that live without oxygen. They're responsible for several nasty conditions, including tetanus, gangrene, botulism, and food poisoning. They often live in deep wounds, so a bad dog bite—or, even worse, a human bite—can be dangerous, since the mouth is full of anaerobic bacteria. But most anaerobic bacteria are harmless, and many are essential to our lives.

Examples of anaerobic in a Sentence

Weight lifting is an anaerobic exercise.

Some bacteria are aerobic and others are anaerobic.

Recent Examples on the Web

Only certain anaerobic bacteria — which don’t rely on oxygen and get their sustenance from geochemical products — would survive. —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024

Your body cannot provide enough oxygen to sustain anaerobic exercise for extended periods. —Amy Kwan, Verywell Health, 29 Oct. 2024

Their farming venture includes a twenty-six-acre greenhouse for strawberries, improved by waste heat from anaerobic digesters. —Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024

The review noted that magnesium supplementation may improve aerobic and anaerobic exercise performance. —Allison Herries, Verywell Health, 10 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

anaerobic

adjective

an·​aer·​o·​bic ˌan-ə-ˈrō-bik 

ˌan-ˌa-(ə-)ˈrō-,

-ˌe-(ə-)ˈrō-

: living, active, or occurring in the absence of free oxygen

anaerobic bacteria

anaerobically

ˌan-ə-ˈrō-bi-k(ə-)lē 

ˌan-ˌa-(ə-)ˈrō-

-ˌe-(ə-)ˈro-

adverb

Medical Definition

anaerobic

adjective

an·​aer·​o·​bic ˌan-ə-ˈrō-bik; ˌan-ˌa(-ə)r-ˈō-  -ˌe(-ə)r- 

1

a

: living, active, or occurring in the absence of free oxygen

during heavy exercise anaerobic respiration occurs, pyruvic acid acts as a hydrogen acceptor, and lactic acid builds up in the tissues

anaerobic bacteria

b(1)

: of, relating to, or being activity in which the body incurs an oxygen debt

an anaerobic workout

Anaerobic activities like sprinting and weight lifting, on the other hand, burn carbohydrates without using oxygen …

—Jane E. Brody, The New York Times

(2)

: of or relating to the body's ability to incur an oxygen debt

Your anaerobic threshold is basically how long you can last without breathing (your lungs working in oxygen debt) while, say, sprinting or going as hard as you can on a bike or in the pool.

—Bob Condor, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

2

: relating to or induced by anaerobes

anaerobically

-bi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb