antibacterial
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of antibacterial
First recorded in 1895–1900; anti- + bacterial ( def. )
Compare meaning
How does antibacterial compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Something that's antibacterial works by killing bacteria or keeping it from growing. You might put antibacterial ointment on a cut to help keep it clean and free from infection. Officially, an antibiotic like penicillin is an antibacterial agent — it kills bacteria, microorganisms that cause disease. You're more likely to find the word antibacterial describing special soaps and lotions that don't just wash bacteria off your hands, but actually kill them. The word combines anti-, "against," and bacterial, from the Greek root bakterion, "small staff," which describes the shape of the first bacteria seen through microscopes.
Vocabulary lists containing antibacterial
Microbiology - High School
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Microbiology - Middle School
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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.
Antibacterial PNAs are still being tested in lab dishes and animals and have not yet moved into human trials.
From Scientific American • Oct. 13, 2023
Antibacterial wipes showed up on conference room tables as infections crept closer.
From New York Times • Sep. 24, 2021
Antibacterial products are the ones that can encourage the development of drug-resistant germs — and they don’t kill viruses, anyway.
From Washington Post • Oct. 22, 2020
Antibacterial soap has led to the rise of superbugs.
From The Guardian • Nov. 30, 2018
“That was not fun,” recalls Thomas Dick, who led the project at Novartis, and now directs the Antibacterial Drug Discovery Laboratory at the National University of Singapore after Novartis dropped out of TB drug discovery.
From Nature • Oct. 9, 2013
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.
