cardiovascular

adjective

car·​dio·​vas·​cu·​lar ˌkär-dē-ō-ˈva-skyə-lər 

1

: of, relating to, or involving the heart and blood vessels

2

: used, designed, or performed to cause a temporary increase in heart rate

a cardiovascular workout

cardiovascularly adverb

cardiovascularly fit

Examples of cardiovascular in a Sentence

running, swimming, and other cardiovascular exercises

Recent Examples on the Web

This creates delays in patient care, from nurses having to run across the campus to fetch IV poles to cardiovascular surgeons having to clean their own offices after each patient, Siebers said. —Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2025

Participants’ heart rates were higher during the hot class, but that extra cardiovascular stress didn’t translate to more bodily work overall. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 4 Sep. 2025

When no injury or illness is present but inflammation persists, this can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. —Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 4 Sep. 2025

This includes blood cell, metabolic, cardiovascular, and inflammatory markers, Navani says. —Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 4 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cardiovascular

• extravascular
• intravascular
• microvascular
• neurovascular
• perivascular
• renovascular
• avascular
• cerebrovascular
• vascular

Kids Definition

cardiovascular

adjective

car·​dio·​vas·​cu·​lar ˌkärd-ē-ō-ˈvas-kyə-lər 

: of, relating to, or involving the heart and blood vessels

cardiovascular disease

Medical Definition

cardiovascular

1 of 2 adjective

car·​dio·​vas·​cu·​lar -ˈvas-kyə-lər 

1

: of, relating to, or involving the heart and blood vessels

cardiovascular disease

the cardiovascular system

2

: used, designed, or performed to cause a temporary increase in heart rate (as to improve heart function and reduce the risk of heart disease)

a cardiovascular workout

treadmills, stationary bicycles, and other cardiovascular equipment

cardiovascularly adverb

cardiovascularly fit

cardiovascular

2 of 2 noun

: a substance (as a drug) that affects the heart or blood vessels