autoimmune
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of autoimmune
Explanation
When a condition or illness is described as autoimmune, it means the body's immune system is attacking the body's own cells or tissues. Lupus is one example of an autoimmune disease. Your immune system sends out antibodies to attack bacteria and viruses that shouldn't be in your body. When this system mistakenly attacks substances that are meant to be in your body, it can cause all kinds of problems — this is an autoimmune disorder. Autoimmune is a medical term that's been around since the 1950s, from auto-, "self," and immune, "exempt from a disease."
Vocabulary lists containing autoimmune
To Thine Own Self Be True: Auto
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: auto-
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: auto
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
As I was recuperating, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, which meant he had to tap out indefinitely.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The pelacarsen study results also come less than a week after Novartis said it had paused eight trials of an experimental cell therapy for autoimmune and neurological disorders after three patients died.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
She was admitted to hospital four days before her death with kidney and autoimmune issues.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Sami Corwin, who covers biotech for William Blair, was doing a routine check of clinical trials last week when she saw that a slate of studies testing therapies in autoimmune diseases had gone dark.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
He did find that some people had skin cells that changed color spontaneously, but those were an indication of illness, or conditions like vitiligo, an autoimmune disorder where healthy melanin cells die or stop working.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
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.
