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Medicine vocabulary · Symptoms and Signs

Dizziness

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˈdɪzinəs/nounCore term

In medicine, dizziness means: A vague feeling of being unsteady, light-headed or as if the room is moving; patients use the word for several different sensations.

In Turkish: baş dönmesi, sersemlik

How it is used

A common but unclear complaint, so doctors ask more questions: does the room spin (vertigo), do you feel faint (pre-syncope), or are you unsteady on your feet? Patients say 'I feel dizzy'.

Example sentences

  1. When you say dizziness, do you mean the room is spinning or that you might faint?

  2. Dizziness on standing is a common side effect of this blood pressure tablet.

Common collocations

  • episodes of dizziness
  • dizziness on standing
  • feel dizzy
  • dizziness and fainting
  • nauseaAn unpleasant feeling in the stomach that you might vomit. It may or may not be followed by actually being sick.
  • blood pressureThe force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries, measured in millimetres of mercury and given as two numbers, for example 120/80.
  • symptomSomething a patient feels and reports, such as pain, tiredness or nausea, that may show they have an illness. Doctors learn about it by asking, not by measuring.
  • side effectAn effect of a medicine or treatment that is not the main one intended, and is often unwanted, such as drowsiness or an upset stomach.

More terms: Symptoms and Signs

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.