anti

¹ American  

[an-tahy, an-tee] / ˈæn taɪ, ˈæn ti /

noun

plural

antis

1. a person who is opposed to a particular practice, party, policy, action, etc.

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anti- ² American  

1. a prefix meaning “against,” “opposite of,” “antiparticle of,” used in the formation of compound words (anticline ); used freely in combination with elements of any origin (antibody; antifreeze; antiknock; antilepton ).

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anti ¹ British  

/ ˈæntɪ /

adjective

1. opposed to a party, policy, attitude, etc

   he won't join because he is rather anti

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noun

1. an opponent of a party, policy, etc

anti- ² British  

prefix

1. against; opposing

   anticlerical

   antisocial

2. opposite to

   anticlimax

   antimere

3. rival; false

   antipope

4. counteracting, inhibiting, or neutralizing

   antifreeze

   antihistamine

5. designating the antiparticle of the particle specified

   antineutron

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anti– Scientific  

1. A prefix whose basic meaning is “against.” It is used to form adjectives that mean “counteracting” (such as antiseptic, preventing infection). It is also used to form nouns referring to substances that counteract other substances (such as antihistamine, a substance counteracting histamine), and nouns meaning “something that displays opposite, reverse, or inverse characteristics of something else” (such as anticyclone, a storm that circulates in the opposite direction from a cyclone). Before a vowel it becomes ant–, as in antacid.

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Sensitive Note

See homophobia.

Etymology

Origin of anti¹

First recorded in 1780–90; by shortening of words prefixed with anti-

Origin of anti-²

From Middle English, from Latin, from Greek, prefixal use of antí; akin to Sanskrit ánti “opposite,” Latin ante, Middle Dutch ende (giving rise to Dutch en “and”), English an- in answer. See ante-, and

Example Sentences

Over time, mapping where these enzymes are located and understanding their functions could help identify biomarkers for diagnosing cancer or reveal new weaknesses that anti cancer drugs could target.

From Science Daily

The International Criminal Court will begin a hearing on Monday to decide whether former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte should stand trial for crimes against humanity linked to his deadly anti‑drug crackdown.

From Barron's

It triggered up to eight times more interferon-gamma, an important anti tumor signal released by killer T cells.

From Science Daily

Nepali candidates launch their campaigns on Monday for next month's parliamentary elections, the first since deadly anti‑corruption protests toppled the previous government in 2025.

From Barron's

Butyrate is known for its anti inflammatory and immune regulating effects throughout the body.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• adverse
• belligerent
• bitter
• contentious
• contrary
• hateful
• inhospitable
• inimical
• nasty
• opposed
• unfavorable
• unfriendly
• unsympathetic