vaccination

[vak-suh-ney-shuhn]

noun

Medicine/Medical.

1. the act or practice of vaccinating; inoculation with a vaccine.

vaccination

/ ˌvæksɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of vaccinating

2. the scar left following inoculation with a vaccine

vaccination

1. Inoculation with a vaccine in order to protect against a particular disease.

2. A scar left on the skin by vaccinating.

vaccination

1. Inoculation with a vaccine to produce immunity to a particular infectious disease.

Other Word Forms

• antivaccination adjective
• nonvaccination noun
• postvaccination adjective
• prevaccination noun
• provaccination adjective
• revaccination noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vaccination¹

First recorded in 1800–10; vaccine + -ation

Example Sentences

In the U.S., the decrease in revenue reflected reduced vaccination rates compared with last year.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Pan, who pushed to increase the vaccination rate, will seek the neighboring 6th Congressional District.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Islington Council faced a legal challenge by one of its residents after it arranged for her eight-month-old daughter to receive routine vaccinations while the child was in its care.

Read more on BBC

An unprecedented delay in the CDC issuing its own recommendations had the effect of snarling vaccinations for many.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She questioned the childhood vaccine schedule and hepatitis B vaccination for babies last year on Joe Rogan’s podcast, though some in Kennedy’s movement have criticized her for not being adequately critical of immunizations.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When To Use

What’s the difference between vaccination, inoculation, and immunization?

In the context of medicine, the words vaccination, inoculation, and immunization are often used in overlapping ways, and for good reason—they all involve the process of introducing a substance (especially a vaccine) into a person’s body with the goal of preventing them from getting a particular disease.Vaccination is the most specific of the three terms, because it always involves introducing a vaccine, which usually consists of a small amount of a killed, weakened, or otherwise modified version of a disease (such as a virus or bacterium). While inoculation has other meanings outside the context of medicine, in modern healthcare it’s typically used interchangeably with vaccination (though it’s used less commonly).Immunization is slightly different—it refers to the process of providing immunity from a specific disease. While the goal of vaccinating someone is often to immunize them, not all vaccines provide permanent immunity. Some vaccines provide what amounts to long-term immunity, while others only lead to a temporary protection, after which the body “forgets” how to make certain antibodies. In these cases, a booster shot or dose is often required, consisting of a follow-up vaccination to boost or renew the protection gained from the earlier vaccination.Both vaccination and inoculation can refer to a shot or dose, as opposed to the process of providing or receiving such doses, as in I’m scheduled to get a vaccination on Friday. The word immunization can be used in the same way to refer to such a vaccination when it’s one that provides immunity, as in Have you received all of your immunizations?Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between vaccinate, inoculate, and immunize.