subcutaneous

American  

[suhb-kyoo-tey-nee-uhs] / ˌsʌb kyuˈteɪ ni əs /

Also subdermal

adjective

1. situated or lying under the skin, as tissue.

2. performed or introduced under the skin, as an injection by a syringe.

3. living below the several layers of the skin, as certain parasites.

---

subcutaneous British  

/ ˌsʌbkjuːˈteɪnɪəs /

adjective

1. med situated, used, or introduced beneath the skin

   a subcutaneous injection

---

subcutaneous Scientific  

/ sŭb′kyo̅o̅-tā′nē-əs /

1. Located or placed just beneath the skin.

---

Other Word Forms

• subcutaneously adverb
• subcutaneousness noun

Etymology

Origin of subcutaneous

From the Late Latin word subcutāneus, dating back to 1645–55. See sub-, cutaneous

Example Sentences

On the other hand, subcutaneous fat -- the fat just beneath the skin -- can actually support healthier metabolism.

From Science Daily • Mar. 19, 2026

Much of Keytruda’s future is tied to a subcutaneous formation of the drug, which was approved in September.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 3, 2026

The ruling applies only to the subcutaneous formulation of the Rahway, N.J., company’s treatment, rather than the intravenous formulation, which Halozyme said isn’t covered by its own patents.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

There will be more subcutaneous use of Biogen’s Leqembi over time.

From Barron's • Sep. 26, 2025

He was physically a typical Gethenian of the Great Continent, compactly made, short-legged and short-armed, with a solid layer of subcutaneous fat giving him even in illness a sleek roundness of body.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin