ANTIBIOTIC Synonyms: 166 Similar and Opposite Words

antibiotic 1 of 2

noun

Definition of antibiotic

as in drug

medical a substance that is used to kill harmful bacteria and to cure infections

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antibiotic

2 of 2

adjective

as in biocidal

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Dissimilar Words

as in antibacterial

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of antibiotic

Noun

Human rights organizations and medical volunteers have said that among the items being confiscated are incubators, ventilators and antibiotics. — Leila Fadel, NPR, 24 Aug. 2026 Aside from taking antibiotics, removal of the appendix via surgery is the most common treatment. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026

Adjective

Regular physical activity, adequate sleep, and avoiding unnecessary antibiotic use further help maintain a balanced microbial community. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026 After trying in-nest treatment, zoo staff removed Marlin to animal care facilities for twice-daily medication and nebulizer treatment with a misted antibiotic. — Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for antibiotic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for antibiotic

Noun

Grande became the face of an ongoing conversation around health, and the cultural pendulum swing away from body positivity to the glorification of thinness, ignited by the proliferation of weight-loss drugs.

— José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 27 Aug. 2026
Researchers spent decades trying to target a group of mutations called RAS — responsible for nearly a third of all human cancers — but the protein’s flat shape defied typical drugs.

— Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of drug

Adjective

Developed in partnership with British company Indestructible Paint, the coating consists of that firm's conventional clear gloss resin along with a 2% concentration of a broad-spectrum biocidal agent known as chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX).

— Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 23 Apr. 2025
Schuerger’s team is also expanding their tests to see how organisms respond to additional biocidal factors.

— National Geographic, National Geographic, 25 Sep. 2016

Definition of biocidal

Noun

Prosecutors allege Clancy planned the killings by sending her husband to pick up takeout food and medicine, then, while he was gone, strangled the children with exercise bands.

— Melina Khan, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Vanessa graduated from Florida International University, completed medical school, and entered a three-year emergency-medicine residency program at a South Florida hospital.

— Tania Francois, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of medicine

Adjective

Those three for-profit utilities have caused at least seven of California’s 20 most destructive fires, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

— Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Authorities in Spokane, Washington arrested 37-year-old Aaron Farinacci for allegedly starting the Old Trails Fire in early August, which became one of the most destructive wildfires in that state's history.

— Kirk Siegler, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of destructive

Adjective

The Whitney has a fumigation guy who uses a process called ultraviolet germicidal irradiation.

— Jake Offenhartz, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
Humans have known for over a hundred years that UV radiation can kill deadly germs, and hospitals have used germicidal 254-nm UVC to sterilize objects for decades.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 8 Mar. 2023

Definition of germicidal

Noun

Health care providers may also recommend sleep medications for short-term relief, but these are generally viewed as temporary tools rather than permanent solutions, explains Troxel.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
Citing medical privacy laws, Ryan Gustin, a spokesperson for CoreCivic, declined to answer questions about Bartko’s allegations that her medication was confiscated and withheld from her for nearly two weeks.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of medication

Adjective

The mother and daughter are among 90 Americans missing after the devastating landslide and flood, which tore through steep mountain gorges near the Nepal-China border and surged downstream along a river, wiping out entire villages.

— Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Kick the can If Congress fails to act, payments are expected to be 22% lower, which could be devastating for the millions of seniors who rely on their Social Security benefits to pay for basic necessities.

— Ashley Lopez, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of devastating

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antibacterial

antibiotic

antibiotics

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Style

“Antibiotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antibiotic. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of antibiotic

noun

adjective

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