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Asphyxiated vs Suffocate - What's the difference?

asphyxiated | suffocate |

As verbs the difference between asphyxiated and suffocate

is that asphyxiated is (asphyxiate) while suffocate is (ergative) to suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.

As an adjective suffocate is

(obsolete) suffocated; choked.

asphyxiated

English

Verb

(head)
  • (asphyxiate)

    • asphyxiate

    English

    Verb

  • To smother or suffocate someone.
  • To be smothered or suffocated.

    • Related terms

    * asphyxia English ergative verbs English intransitive verbs English transitive verbs

    suffocate

    English

    Verb

    (suffocat)
  • (ergative) To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.
    • Open the hatch, he is suffocating in the airlock!
  • (ergative) To die due to, or kill someone by means of, insufficient oxygen supply to the body.
    • He suffocated his wife by holding a pillow over her head.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Let not hemp his windpipe suffocate .
  • (ergative, figuratively) To overwhelm, or be overwhelmed (by a person or issue), as though with oxygen deprivation.
    • I'm suffocating under this huge workload.
  • To destroy; to extinguish.
    • to suffocate fire

    Synonyms

    * (To suffer from reduced oxygen) asphyxiate * (To die from insufficient oxygen) stifle * (To be overwhelmed) drown * (To reduce oxygen supply) asphyxiate, smother * (To kill by deprivation of oxygen) asphyxiate, stifle * (To make weary with contact) smother

    Derived terms

    * suffocation

    Related terms

    * asphyxia

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (obsolete) Suffocated; choked.
    • (Shakespeare)

    External links

    * * * English ergative verbs ----