pathogenic

[ path-uh-jen-ik ]

/ ˌpæθ əˈdʒɛn ɪk /

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adjective

Pathology. capable of producing disease: pathogenic bacteria.

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Origin of pathogenic

First recorded in 1850–55; patho- + -genic

OTHER WORDS FROM pathogenic

an·ti·path·o·gen·ic, adjectivenon·path·o·gen·ic, adjective

Words nearby pathogenic

patho-, pathocure, pathoformic, pathogen, pathogenesis, pathogenic, pathogenicity, pathognomonic, pathognomy, pathography, pathol.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pathogenic in a sentence

“This does appear to be a more pathogenic virus that’s causing more illness in children in all age groups than the variants that we’ve previously seen,” Thomas Unnasch, a public health professor at the University of South Florida, testified.
Fla. judge rules DeSantis administration cannot restrict school districts’ mask mandates|Meryl Kornfield|August 27, 2021|Washington Post
When it comes to bacterial species that are pathogenic to humans, those that climb to the peaks are bad news for us, particularly if that ascent is due to their drug-resistance abilities.
How to Outwit Evolution - Issue 103: Healthy Communication|Lina Zeldovich|July 14, 2021|Nautilus
When scientists delete these cleavage sites, the virus becomes less transmissible and less pathogenic, Menachery says.
What makes the Delta covid-19 variant more infectious?|Cassandra Willyard|June 10, 2021|MIT Technology Review
And, he reasoned, if swallowing a pathogenic bacterial culture sickened you, then swallowing a beneficial one would make you healthier.
The Man Who Drank Cholera and Launched the Yogurt Craze - Issue 100: Outsiders|Lina Zeldovich|May 19, 2021|Nautilus

When Pascal Gagneux envisions malaria parasites and other pathogens interacting with the surfaces of a host’s cells, he pictures a miniature rainforest with pathogenic particles flying overhead like colorful birds.
Researchers Read the Sugary ‘Language’ on Cell Surfaces|Rachel Crowell|May 3, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Pathogenic bacteria from the remains can get into water supplies.
Haiti's Grisly Problem|Cyril Wecht|January 19, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Ward determined to study this as the most extreme type of pathogenic infection.
Makers of British Botany; a collection of biographies by living botanists|Various
He established, in fact, a complete parallelism between the behaviour of rust-fungi and that of pathogenic organisms in animals.
Makers of British Botany; a collection of biographies by living botanists|Various
Pathogenic bacteria undergo a progressive loss of virulence when cultivated in the presence of light.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre
It is customary to commence the study of the pathogenic bacteria with the Organisms of Suppuration.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre
If any of the animals die, make complete post-mortem examinations and endeavour to isolate the pathogenic organisms.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre

British Dictionary definitions for pathogenic

pathogenic

/ (ˌpæθəˈdʒɛnɪk) /

adjective

able to cause or produce diseasepathogenic bacteria

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for pathogenic

pathogenic

[ (path-uh-jen-ik) ]

A descriptive term for a thing or condition that can cause disease.