Phrase guide

circadian rhythm

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The internal body clock that regulates the roughly 24-hour cycle of biological processes in animals and plants.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: sleep medicine

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: circadian clock

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a daily cycle of activity observed in many living organisms

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: biological time

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 生理節律 /生理节律 (shēnglǐ jiélǜ) — internal body clock
  • Chinese Mandarin: 晝夜節律 /昼夜节律 (zhòuyè jiélǜ) — internal body clock
  • Finnish: vuorokausirytmi — internal body clock
  • Finnish: sirkadiaanirytmi — internal body clock
  • French: rythme circadien — internal body clock
  • Galician: ritmo circadiano — internal body clock
  • German: circadianer Rhythmus — internal body clock
  • German: circadiane Rhythmik — internal body clock
  • Greek: κιρκάδιος ρυθμός (kirkádios rythmós) — internal body clock
  • Icelandic: dægursveifla — internal body clock
  • Japanese: 概日リゾム (gaijitsurizomu) — internal body clock
  • Korean: 생체리듬 (saengcherideum) — internal body clock
  • Portuguese: ritmo circadiano — internal body clock
  • Romanian: ritm circadian — internal body clock
  • Russian: циркадный ритм (cirkadnyj ritm) — internal body clock
  • Spanish: ritmo circadiano — internal body clock
  • Swedish: dygnsrytm — internal body clock
  • Thai: จังหวะรอบวัน — internal body clock
  • Ukrainian: цирка́дний ритм (cyrkádnyj rytm) — internal body clock