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.

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subcutaneous British  

/ ˌsʌbkjuːˈteɪnɪəs /

adjective

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

   a subcutaneous injection

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subcutaneous Scientific  

/ sŭb′kyo̅o̅-tā′nē-əs /

1. Located or placed just beneath the skin.

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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

Explanation

The adjective subcutaneous is a medical term that describes anything that exists or is inserted just below the skin. Unfortunately, you're most likely to hear the word subcutaneous at the hospital or doctor's office when you're just about to get a shot. The word itself is made up of sub, which is "under" in Latin, and cutaneous, which comes from cutis, meaning "skin." The only actual synonym for subcutaneous is hypodermic, which also usually describes a needle that is inserted below the skin.

Example Sentences

The company added that the treatment, known as Tepezza OBI and administered in a subcutaneous form, achieved efficacy that is comparable with the intravenous version.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 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

These future treatments may aim to reduce visceral fat more than subcutaneous fat while protecting muscle mass.

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 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