🇬🇧 Swollen meaning: English Vocabulary Flash Card

Swollen means something has puffed up and become bigger than normal, usually because it’s hurt, irritated, or filled with extra liquid, like when your ankle gets puffy after a fall or a mosquito bite makes a big bump.

My toe had swollen so much it looked like it was trying to become a hot dog.

My thumb had swollen so big from the bee sting it looked ready to star in its own movie: Thumbzilla.

My cheek had swollen after the dentist, so I pretended to be a squirrel saving nuts for winter.

My ear had swollen from the bug bite and started sticking out like it was trying to listen extra hard.

My knee had swollen after soccer, and I told my friends I was secretly growing a spare brain in there.

She cut her toe on a rock; it turned red and swollen. The swollen nail pulsed, the swollen toe felt heavy. She soaked it in cool water, pressed gently as the swollen skin eased. By night the swollen edge was softer and she breathed out, small and relieved. Her mother hugged her.

This word is at the C2 level, which means it represents the highest mastery of English. It’s often used in specialized or highly formal contexts and helps you communicate with precision and subtlety, much like a native speaker.

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