immunity
Americannoun
-
immunities
plural
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the state of being immune from or insusceptible to a particular disease or the like.
- Antonyms:
- susceptibility
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the condition that permits either natural or acquired resistance to disease.
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the ability of a cell to react immunologically in the presence of an antigen.
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exemption from any natural or usual liability.
- Antonyms:
- liability
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exemption from obligation, service, duty, or liability to taxation, jurisdiction, etc..
The ambassador claimed diplomatic immunity when they arrested him for reckless driving.
- Synonyms:
- prerogative, liberty, license, franchise
- Antonyms:
- liability
-
Law. exemption from criminal prosecution or legal liability or punishment on certain conditions.
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special privilege.
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Ecclesiastical.
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the exemption of ecclesiastical persons and things from secular or civil liabilities, duties, and burdens.
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a particular exemption of this kind.
-
noun
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the ability of an organism to resist disease, either through the activities of specialized blood cells or antibodies produced by them in response to natural exposure or inoculation ( active immunity ) or by the injection of antiserum or the transfer of antibodies from a mother to her baby via the placenta or breast milk ( passive immunity ) See also acquired immunity natural immunity
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freedom from obligation or duty, esp exemption from tax, duty, legal liability, etc
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any special privilege granting immunity
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the exemption of ecclesiastical persons or property from various civil obligations or liabilities
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The protection of the body from a disease caused by an infectious agent, such as a bacterium or virus. Immunity may be natural (that is, inherited) or acquired.
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See also acquired immunity
Synonym Usage
See exemption.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of immunity
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French immunite, from Latin immūnitāt-, stem of immūnitās “freedom or exemption from public charges or burdens.” See immune, -ity
Explanation
Immunity means exemption or resistance. If you're protected against something, you have immunity to it. Your new silver clothes just might grant you immunity from getting thrown in jail by the fashion police. In the late 14th century, the noun immunity, which means “exempt from service or obligation,” developed from the Latin immunitatem, which has nearly identical meaning. Break that word down even further, and you get immunis, meaning “exempt, free,” from in "not" and munis, meaning “performing services.” In a medical sense, immunity is “protection from disease.” Your annual flu shot tries to give you immunity from, or make you insusceptible to, the illness.
Vocabulary lists containing immunity
The Constitution of the United States
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"On Women's Right to Vote" by Susan B. Anthony
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Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
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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.
See Examples For:
First, we don’t know yet how long the vaccine offers immunity against shingles, nor is it clear whether the protective qualities it seems to offer older folks apply when it’s given to younger populations.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026
Understanding this unusual process could do more than expand scientists' knowledge of bacterial immunity.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek, who is also the attorney general, told journalists he had requested the lifting of the immunity enjoyed by Swieczkowski and his deputy Bartlomiej Sochanski.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
Even those who have been exposed to H1N1 might not have as much natural immunity to this mutation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Goebbels would grow bitterly jealous of her influence with Hitler and the immunity it gave her from his own authority.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
"We call on the de facto authorities to ensure compliance with the privileges and immunities of the UN and its officials."
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
He celebrated the “government, which to bigotry gives no sanction, to persecution no assistance—but generously affording to all Liberty of conscience, and immunities of Citizenship.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
Ecuador’s presidency on Friday night also alleged that Mexico’s government had “abused immunities and privileges granted to the diplomatic mission” and granted “diplomatic asylum contrary to the conventional legal framework.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 6, 2024
"Whatever immunities a sitting president may enjoy, the United States has only one chief executive at a time," Judge Chutkan wrote late on Friday.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2023
“This place isn’t known for cleaning their germy dishes, but it’ll build up your immunities before you get home. You can go back to Jankburg the strongest little boy around.”
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
