English Reference

Word

cardiovascular

Phoneticscar·dio·vas·cu·lar

US/ˌkɑɹdioʊˈvæskjəɫɝ/

UK/kˌɑːdɪəʊvˈæskjʊlɐ/

Definition

adj. relating to the heart and the blood vessels that carry blood through your body.

adj. relating to the heart and the circulatory system of blood vessels.

Examples

“Regular exercise improves your cardiovascular health.”

“Doctors recommend at least thirty minutes of cardiovascular activity daily to reduce the risk of heart disease.”

“The patient's cardiovascular system showed significant improvement after six months of a supervised diet and a consistent aerobic training regimen.”

Examples

simple

“Regular exercise improves your cardiovascular health.”

contextual

“Doctors recommend at least thirty minutes of cardiovascular activity daily to reduce the risk of heart disease.”

complex

“The patient's cardiovascular system showed significant improvement after six months of a supervised diet and a consistent aerobic training regimen.”

Usage

Typically used in medical or fitness contexts to modify nouns like 'health', 'system', or 'exercise'.

Real-World Examples

Common in science writing

“Very high levels of the inherited cholesterol-related particle Lp(a) were linked to a greater risk of major cardiovascular events, particularly stroke and cardiovascular death, in a study of more than 20,000 people.”
ScienceDaily · 10 Aug 2026
“But heatwaves are a "stress-test" for women's cardiovascular systems, and hit them harder than men, Dr Nighat Arif, an NHS GP who specialises in women's health, told the BBC.”
BBC News · 8 Jul 2026

Etymology

From cardio- + vascular.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Collocations

cardiovascular disease

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/cardiovascular

English Reference