bacterial
Americanadjective
Explanation
If your illness is caused by bacteria, you can describe it as bacterial. For example, a lung infection that results from being exposed to bacteria is called bacterial pneumonia. Some infections and illnesses are caused by viruses, and they're called viral. Other kinds occur when your immune system is invaded by microorganisms called bacteria, and these are bacterial. You're most likely to hear the adjective bacterial when you're sick. The root word, bakterion, is Greek for "small staff or rod." Bacterial organisms were named this way in the 1830's because the first bacteria observed through a microscope were rod-shaped.
Vocabulary lists containing bacterial
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -al, -ial
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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.
King Harald V of Norway's health has worsened, the palace has said, as he remains in hospital receiving antibiotics for a bacterial infection in his bloodstream.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
To follow how the cheeses changed over time, the researchers collected samples at multiple stages of maturation and analyzed both their bacterial communities and chemical composition.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Taylor Farms has become the latest distributor to recall food products that contain jalapeños that are potentially contaminated with salmonella and linked to a larger multi-state bacterial outbreak that includes California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Salmonella, a bacterial pathogen, is one of the most common causes of food poisoning.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
By now the new science of bacteriology, pioneered by Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur, had convinced most public health officials that contaminated drinking water caused the spread of cholera and other bacterial diseases.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
