nitrogen narcosis

noun

: a state of euphoria and confusion similar to that of alcohol intoxication which occurs when nitrogen in normal air enters the bloodstream at increased pressure (as in deep-water diving)

called also rapture of the deep

Examples of nitrogen narcosis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Deep sea divers typically breathe in a mix of helium and oxygen to avoid nitrogen narcosis. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 5 Feb. 2025

Today, nitrogen narcosis is known to be an immutable effect of breathing air under pressure. —Rachel Lance, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024

Unmoored by the devastating emptiness in their household, Merel and the kids carry on, but they’re each siloed off in pain and confusion, suspended in a kind of stupor, as suggested by the movie’s title, which also alludes to the intoxicating effects of nitrogen narcosis in deep-sea diving. —Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Oct. 2022

Even experts risk equipment failures, insufficient decompression, and the dangerous confusion induced by nitrogen narcosis. —Nick Romeo, National Geographic, 11 July 2016

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nitrogen narcosis

• actinomycosis
• atherosclerosis
• endometriosis
• erythematosus
• erythroblastosis
• granulomatosis
• hemochromatosis
• histiocytosis
• hyperkeratosis
• ketoacidosis
• mononucleosis
• osteonecrosis

Medical Definition

nitrogen narcosis

noun

: a state of euphoria and confusion similar to that of alcohol intoxication which occurs when nitrogen in normal air enters the bloodstream at increased partial pressure (as in deepwater diving)

divers typically begin to experience the effects of nitrogen narcosis at depths of 100 feet

called also rapture of the deep