antibacterial

[ an-tee-bak-teer-ee-uhl, an-tahy- ]
See synonyms for antibacterial on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. destructive to or inhibiting the growth of bacteria: a full line of antibacterial hand lotions, deodorants, and foot powders.

noun
  1. an antibacterial product, as a hand or dish soap, a mouthwash, an aerosol cleaner, or an antibiotic: Sorry, but none of these antibacterials is going to kill your cold virus.

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Origin of antibacterial

1
First recorded in 1895–1900; anti- + bacterial

Words Nearby antibacterial

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use antibacterial in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for antibacterial

antibacterial

/ (ˌæntɪbækˈtɪərɪəl) /


adjective
  1. effective against bacteria

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012