adj · verb · 3 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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈswəʊ.lən/
UK:/ˈswɒ.lən/
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˈswoʊ.lən/
rhymes with -əʊlən
CMU ARPABET:S W OW1 L AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Protuberant or abnormally distended (as by injury or disease).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, participle, past
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adjective satellite
Meaning 3
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a conceited fool
an attitude of self-conceited arrogance
an egotistical disregard of others
so swollen by victory that he was unfit for normal duty
growing ever more swollen-headed and arbitrary
vain about her clothes
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: conceited, egotistic, egotistical, self-conceited, swollen-headed, vain
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English swollen, i-swolle, y-swolle, yswolle, ȝeswollen, from Old English swollen, ġeswollen, from Proto-Germanic *swullanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *swellaną (“to swell”). Cognate with West Frisian swollen (“swollen”), Dutch gezwollen (“swollen”), German geschwollen (“swollen”), Swedish svullen (“swollen”).
Across languages
Translations
63 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Akan:
ahono
— distended
Albanian:
Enjtur
— distended
Albanian:
Aj (gheg)
— distended
Arabic:
مُنْتَفِخ
(muntafiḵ)
— distended
Arabic:
مُتَوَرِّم
(mutawarrim)
— distended
Arabic:
وارم
(wārim)
— distended
Belarusian:
апу́хлы
(apúxly)
— distended
Bulgarian:
изду́т
(izdút)
— distended
Chinese Mandarin:
腫 /肿
(zhǒng)
— distended
Chinese Mandarin:
腫脹的 /肿胀的
(zhǒngzhàng de)
— distended
Chinese Mandarin:
膨脹的 /膨胀的
(péngzhàng de)
— distended
