circadian

adjective

cir·ca·di·an | \ sər-ˈkā-dē-ən

Definition of circadian

: being, having, characterized by, or occurring in approximately 24-hour periods or cycles (as of biological activity or function) circadian rhythms in activity

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Did You Know?

Just over fifty years ago, no one talked about "circadian rhythms" - because "circadian" hadn't even been coined yet. In 1959, a scientist formed the word from the Latin words circa ("about") and "dies" ("day"), and it caught on quickly. "Circadian" appeared in periodicals throughout the sixties, and appeared in a Merriam-Webster dictionary before the decade was up. Most often, it's seen and heard in the term "circadian rhythm," which refers to the inherent cycle of about 24 hours that appears to control various biological processes, such as sleep, wakefulness, and digestive activity. If you want to impress your friends, you can also use the term "circadian dysrhythmia," a fancy synonym of "jet lag."

Examples of circadian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The way your circadian rhythm (or internal clock) responds to the seasons is yet another biological element here, according to the NSF. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "How Much Sleep Do I Need?," 21 Mar. 2019 An hour later, splotches of sunlight penetrated the spruce, striking my shirt and warming my heart, resetting the circadian clock that tunes our bodies to a 24-hour day. — Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, "What it’s like to run circles for 24 hours around the land of no night," 9 June 2018 Our body’s circadian clock determines the best times for eating, sleeping, working out and doing other daily activities. — Josh Magness, miamiherald, "Need an excuse to sleep in during weekends? It could keep you alive longer, study says | Miami Herald," 24 May 2018 One expert, Ilene Rosen, professor of clinical medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, explains how to shift your circadian rhythm to suit your schedule. ... — Heidi Mitchell, WSJ, "Can a Night Owl Become a Morning Person?," 23 Jan. 2019 Partch is a biochemist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who specializes in circadian rhythms, which is not only an actual research field, but one whose adherents won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "Why You Should Have Heart Surgery in the Afternoon," 26 Dec. 2018 The researchers believe that a shifted sleep schedule affects circadian rhythm and hormone levels throughout the day, and that throwing them out of whack could contribute to both physical and emotional health issues. — Amanda Macmillan, Health.com, "Sleeping In on the Weekend Might Actually Be Good For You," 24 May 2018 There’s also some evidence that switching sleeping schedules twice a year screws up our circadian rhythms leading to adverse health effects. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "The EU Mulls Ditching Daylight Saving Time," 9 July 2018 Critics argue that switching up the clocks drives up electricity demand and disrupts human’s delicate circadian rhythms, leading to long-term health problems. — Shoshana Wodinsky, The Verge, "The EU is polling citizens if daylight saving is really necessary," 5 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'circadian.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

2 Apr 2019

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The first known use of circadian was in 1959

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More Definitions for circadian

circadian

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of circadian

technical : relating to the regular changes in a person or thing that happen in 24-hour periods

See the full definition for circadian in the English Language Learners Dictionary

circadian

adjective

cir·ca·di·an | \ (ˌ)sər-ˈkad-ē-ən, -ˈkād-; ˌsər-kə-ˈdī-ən, -ˈdē-

Medical Definition of circadian

: being, having, characterized by, or occurring in approximately 24-hour periods or cycles (as of biological activity or function) circadian periodicity circadian rhythms in behavior or physiological activity — compare infradian, ultradian