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.
One particularly promising application involves chronic wounds and ulcers, which can be difficult to treat because of persistent inflammation, bacterial contamination, and damage caused by oxidative stress.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
What some mistake for permanent dairy intolerance can be temporary post-virus sensitivity or gut bacterial overgrowth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
The University of Florida researchers are now building on their findings with a follow-up study focused on more sustainable ways to manage bacterial blotch.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
The findings also suggest that growers may need more comprehensive detection methods capable of identifying a broader range of bacterial threats.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
In Panama, where tests were begun in 1961, this bacterial insecticide may be the answer to one or more of the serious problems confronting banana growers.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
