adjuvant
Americanadjective
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serving to help or assist; auxiliary.
You'll be serving in an adjuvant capacity, on call if we need you.
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Medicine/Medical. utilizing drugs, radiation therapy, or other means of supplemental treatment following cancer surgery or other primary cancer treatment.
The cancer was caught at such an early stage that adjuvant measures were determined to be unnecessary.
noun
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a person or thing that aids or helps.
a team of adjuvants.
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Medicine/Medical, Pharmacology. anything that aids in the treatment of disease, management of pain, etc., especially a substance added to a medication to aid the effect of the main ingredient.
For some in acute pain, caffeine is an effective analgesic adjuvant.
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Immunology. a substance admixed with an immunogen in order to elicit a more marked immune response.
Aluminum salts have been used as adjuvants in vaccines for many decades.
adjective
noun
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something that aids or assists; auxiliary
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med a drug or other substance that enhances the activity of another
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immunol a substance that enhances the immune response stimulated by an antigen when injected with the antigen
Etymology
Origin of adjuvant
First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin adjuvant- (stem of adjuvāns, adjective use of present participle of adjuvāre ), equivalent to prefix ad- + juv- (stem of juvāre “to help”) + -ant; ad- ( def. ), aid, -ant
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.
They used a DNA origami nanotechnology platform called DoriVac, which functions as both a vaccine and an adjuvant.
From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026
Nevertheless, negative results for breast cancer drug candidate giredestrant as a first-line treatment mean the majority of its opportunity is in the so-called adjuvant setting, when drugs are given after tumor-removal surgery, the analysts add.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
We did look at developing an mRNA vaccine for rhinoviruses, but in the end, we decided to go with a protein vaccine with an adjuvant.
From Slate • Oct. 8, 2025
It’s the princess’ first official engagement since she concluded adjuvant chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2024
Under the use of rest and the adjuvant treatment described, Miss M. made a thorough recovery, and was restored to useful active life.
From Fat and Blood An Essay on the Treatment of Certain Forms of Neurasthenia and Hysteria by Mitchell, John K.
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.
