adjective
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of, relating to, having, or caused by an allergy
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informal having an aversion (to)
he's allergic to work
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of allergic
Explanation
If you're allergic, your body has an exaggerated response to some substance, like cat dander or pollen, that makes you sneeze or get itchy. Many people are allergic to dust. If you have an allergy to something, your immune system goes crazy when you come in contact with it: if this happens to you, you're allergic. You might be allergic to certain plants, and spend the spring with itchy eyes, for example, or sneeze every time you pet your best friend's dog. Allergic comes from allergy, from the German Allergie, which is rooted in the Greek word allos, "other, different, or strange."
Vocabulary lists containing allergic
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 17–February 23, 2024
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 14–May 20, 2022
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Jess and Layla's Astronomical Assignment
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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.
When Catalina Romero arrived at Catalina Island’s tiny emergency room this week with a severe allergic reaction, officials decided she needed medical attention on the mainland.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
By February, he told his wife he was feeling itchy but Kate said doctors thought it might be an allergic reaction to medication.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
She was never above criticism; financial television has long been too cozy with the executives it covers and too allergic to the kind of confrontational reporting that treats CEOs as accountable public actors.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
You’re not the only person to have an allergic reaction to the idea of probate.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
"Oh, Sam," she said, "you know how much we would love to have a dog. But Daddy's allergic to dogs."
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
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.
