parasitic
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of parasites.
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(of diseases) due to parasites.
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Phonetics. excrescent.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of parasitic
1620–30; < Latin parasīticus < Greek parasītikós. See parasite, -ic
Explanation
The adjective parasitic is mainly a scientific term for talking about an organism that lives on a host, taking what it needs to stay alive while often injuring the host. By their nature, ticks, leeches, and lice are all parasitic; they live off their hosts. You can also use the word parasitic more metaphorically, to describe a person who takes without giving anything in return. A thirty year-old man who lives with his mother, eating her food and not paying rent, could be described as parasitic, since he survives by sponging off another person. Parasitic comes from the Greek word parasitos, "eating at another's table."
Vocabulary lists containing parasitic
The Poet X
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Turtles All the Way Down
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The Suffix -ic, Part 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Prolonging this parasitic relationship by trying to squeeze the last few drops of expensive oil out of the North Sea is sheer folly," Hopkinson said.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
“I think a lot of people are going to be making jokes about getting parasitic diarrhea from Taco Bell for the next 20 years,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Taco Bell has a battle plan to bring customers back after a parasitic outbreak was linked to lettuce served at its restaurants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Summer, a season of good eats and fresh produce, has been tainted by a rampant parasitic outbreak that’s made us all scared to indulge in a generous plate of Caesar salad.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
But mostly the horses are just there, useless, parasitic, grazing in the overgrazed fields, because there have always been horses in Milagro.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
