Synonyms of infectednext
: having an infection : contaminated with an infective agent (such as a bacterium or virus)
an infected wound
Through a number of different means, these viruses persist at very low, hard-to-detect levels in infected cells.The Journal of the American Medical Association
She explains that leptospirosis bacteria are shed in the urine of infected animals.Tania Banak
The fungus produces as many as 1 million conidia per square centimeter of infected leaf surface.G. B. Lucas

infected

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of infect

Examples of infected in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
Measles spreads through the air and can remain in a room for up to two hours after an infected person leaves. Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026 Residents in western North Carolina may have been exposed to the infected goats from Farm Adventures at the mobile petting zoo’s location in Harmony or at off-site events between July 28 and August 27, local officials said in a statement. Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026 The other four infected employees were hospitalized and receiving treatment, said an airport spokesman. CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 Key to Shai-Hulud’s viral ability was a separate component that collected credentials for other packages in the memory of infected hardware. Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for infected

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of infect

First Known Use

Adjective

1534, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of infected was in 1534

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Cite this Entry

“Infected.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infected. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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