seronegative

American

[seer-oh-neg-uh-tiv] / ˌsɪər oʊˈnɛg ə tɪv /

adjective

Medicine/Medical.

showing no significant level of serum antibodies, or other immunologic marker in the serum, that would indicate previous exposure to the infectious agent being tested.

seronegative British

/ ˌsɪərəʊˈnɛɡətɪv /

adjective

(of a person whose blood has been tested for a specific disease, such as AIDS) showing no serological reaction indicating the presence of the disease

"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

Etymology

Origin of seronegative

First recorded in 1930–35; sero- + negative

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.

In 2014, the rheumatologist diagnosed possible seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, an uncommon form of the disease.

From Washington Post • May 14, 2022

They found evidence to support this theory: a far higher proportion of the seronegative participants had T cells that recognize this complex than did health-care workers who got COVID-19.

From Scientific American • Nov. 14, 2021

About one third of the patients were seronegative when they entered the trial, meaning they did not produce antibodies themselves.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 16, 2021

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