bactericidal

American

[bak-teer-uh-sahyd-l] / bækˌtɪər əˈsaɪd l /

adjective

Pharmacology.

killing bacteria; capable of or used for killing bacteria.

Silver is used in water filtration because it is known to be a solid bactericidal agent.
Eventually the bactericidal action of the chemical sanitizer may be exhausted.

Other Word Forms

bactericidally adverb

Etymology

Origin of bactericidal

First recorded in 1875–80; bacteri(um) ( def. ) + -cidal ( def. )

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.

Those findings suggested a bactericidal activity against the pathogen.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2024

Hollmann tested her treatment on his patients, and he saw that the ethyl esters were bactericidal, capable of killing bacteria.

From New York Times • Apr. 8, 2023

While studies conducted up until the 1960s found little evidence supporting an antibacterial role for cerumen, more recent studies have found that cerumen provides some bactericidal protection against some strains of bacteria.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

We have identified and characterized the indolcarboxamides as a new class of antitubercular bactericidal agent.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 4, 2013

It is quite evident that bactericidal action as tested in vitro outside the body does not correspond to the degree of immunity possessed by the animal under natural conditions.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2 "Baconthorpe" to "Bankruptcy" by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023