anaerobic
Americanadjective
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(of an organism or tissue) living in the absence of air or free oxygen.
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pertaining to or caused by the absence of oxygen.
adjective
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(of an organism or process) requiring the absence of or not dependent on the presence of oxygen
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of or relating to anaerobes
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Occurring in the absence of oxygen or not requiring oxygen to live. Anaerobic bacteria produce energy from food molecules without the presence of oxygen.
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Compare aerobic
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of anaerobic
Compare meaning
How does anaerobic compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Anaerobic means "without oxygen." Anaerobic bacteria, unlike humans, don't need oxygen to survive. Aerobic means "needing or using oxygen." Think about aerobic activity, also called "cardio," like running, biking, or yes, taking an aerobics class at your local gym. That heart-pumping exercise makes your lungs take in more oxygen to keep you moving. Anaerobic is the opposite of aerobic. It means "without oxygen." Weight lifting is called an anaerobic exercise, because it doesn't require additional oxygen.
Vocabulary lists containing anaerobic
Cell Biology - Middle School
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Cell Biology - High School
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Elements of the Universe: Aer, Aero ("Air")
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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.
Birds that spent more time together had more similar gut bacteria, especially anaerobic microbes that can only survive in low-oxygen conditions.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 13, 2026
Food waste is instead taken through a process called anaerobic digestion to create biomethane.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
In addition to being cleaner for the environment, he said it could be "cheaper to get rid of that waste through an anaerobic digestion plant" than other methods.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
This compound is found in the atmospheres of the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and has long been viewed as a potential biosignature for anaerobic life.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2025
But even bacteria do anaerobic glycolysis, which is why apples rot: lunchtime for the microbes.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
