antimicrobial

See also: anti-microbial

English

Alternative forms

• anti-microbial

Etymology

From anti- +‎ microbe +‎ -ial.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌæn.ti.maɪˈkɹəʊ.bi.əl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌæn.ti.maɪˈkɹoʊ.bi.əl/, [ˌɛən.ti.maɪˈkɹoʊ.bi.əl]
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌæn.ti.maɪˈkɹoʊ.bi.əl/, [ˌæn.ti.mʌɪˈkɹoʊ.bi.əl]
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˌæn.ti.mɑɪˈkɹəʉ.bi.əl/, /ˌæn.ti.mɑɪˈkɹɐʉ.bi.əl/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˌɛn.ti.maɪˈkɹɐʉ.bi.əl/

Adjective

antimicrobial (not comparable)

1. (pharmacology) Tending to destroy or capable of destroying microbes.

   Hyponyms: antibiotic, antifungal, antimycotic; antiviral

2. (pharmacology) Inhibiting the growth of microbes.

   Synonym: microbiostatic

   Hyponyms: bacteriostatic, fungistatic, mycostatic

3. (pharmacology) Preventing or counteracting the pathogenic action of microbes.

Synonyms

• antimicrobic

Derived terms

• antimicrobicide
• multiantimicrobial
• nonantimicrobial
• photoantimicrobial
• subantimicrobial

 

Translations

destroying microbes

• Armenian: հակամանրէային (hakamanrēayin)
• Basque: antimikrobiar
• Catalan: antimicrobià
• Czech: antimikrobiální
• Estonian: antimikroobne
• Finnish: antimikrobinen
• French: antimicrobien (fr)
• Georgian: ანტიმიკრობული (anṭimiḳrobuli)
• German: antimikrobiell
• Greek: αντιμικροβιακός (el) (antimikroviakós)
• Irish: frithmhiocróbach
• Italian: antimicrobico (it)
• Portuguese: antimicrobiano
• Russian: антимикро́бный (ru) (antimikróbnyj), противомикро́бный (ru) (protivomikróbnyj)
• Spanish: antimicrobiano

inhibiting the growth of microbes

• Armenian: հակամանրէային (hakamanrēayin)
• Basque: antimikrobiar
• Estonian: antimikroobne
• Finnish: antimikrobinen
• French: antimicrobien (fr)
• Georgian: ანტიმიკრობული (anṭimiḳrobuli)
• German: antimikrobiell
• Greek: αντιμικροβιακός (el) (antimikroviakós)
• Irish: frithmhiocróbach
• Italian: antimicrobico (it)
• Portuguese: antimicrobiano
• Russian: антимикро́бный (ru) (antimikróbnyj), противомикро́бный (ru) (protivomikróbnyj)

preventing the pathogenic action of microbes

• Armenian: հակամանրէային (hakamanrēayin)
• Basque: antimikrobiar
• Estonian: antimikroobne
• Finnish: antimikrobinen
• French: antimicrobien (fr)
• Georgian: ანტიმიკრობული (anṭimiḳrobuli)
• German: antimikrobiell
• Greek: αντιμικροβιακός (el) (antimikroviakós)
• Irish: frithmhiocróbach
• Italian: antimicrobico (it)
• Portuguese: antimicrobiano
• Russian: антимикро́бный (ru) (antimikróbnyj), противомикро́бный (ru) (protivomikróbnyj)

Noun

antimicrobial (plural antimicrobials)

1. An agent (drug or other substance) that destroys microbes (i.e., kills off a population of them).

   Hyponyms: antibiotic, antifungal, antimycotic; antiviral

2. An agent (drug or other substance) that inhibits the growth of microbes but does not kill their whole population.

   Synonym: microbiostatic

   Hyponyms: bacteriostatic, fungistatic, mycostatic

3. An agent (drug or other substance) that counteracts the pathogenic action of microbes.

Translations

agent that destroys microbes

• Catalan: antimicrobià m
• French: antimicrobien (fr)
• Indonesian: antimikroba
• Portuguese: antimicrobiano m
• Spanish: antimicrobiano m

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /antimikɾoˈbjal/ [ãn̪.t̪i.mi.kɾoˈβ̞jal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: an‧ti‧mi‧cro‧bial

Adjective

antimicrobial m or f (masculine and feminine plural antimicrobiales)

1. antimicrobial