noun

tachycardia

/ˌtækɪˈkɑːrdɪə/ · say it: TAK·ih·KAR·dee·uh

an abnormally fast heartbeat

In Medicine & Health

In more detail

a condition in which the heart beats faster than normal, usually more than 100 beats per minute

Examples

The patient's tachycardia was caused by anxiety and stress.

How to use tachycardia

Tachycardia is a medical term used by healthcare professionals and in clinical or educational contexts to describe an abnormally elevated heart rate. It is more precise and clinical than the colloquial "rapid heartbeat" and is the standard term in medical literature and practice. The term can refer to both a symptom and a diagnosed condition.

Common phrases

suffer from tachycardia
experience tachycardia
episodes of tachycardia
treat tachycardia
atrial tachycardia
ventricular tachycardia

Synonyms

rapid heartbeat · increased heart rate · elevated pulse · fast heart rate

Opposites

bradycardia

Word family

tachycardic (adjective) · tachycardias (plural noun)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse tachycardia with other cardiac conditions or fail to recognize that it can be a symptom (e.g., from anxiety or fever) rather than always a disease diagnosis.

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