Kraken variant

proper noun

The highly transmissible XBB.1.5 strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. A subvariant of the Omicron variant (“B.1.1.529”). Kraken became the predominant strain in the United States at the end of 2022.

Similar
KrakenKraken lineageKraken strainKraken sublineageKraken subvariantXBB.1.5

Meanings

proper nounKraken variant (uncountable)

alternative kraken variant · alternative Kraken Variant

  1. neologismuncountableThe highly transmissible XBB.1.5 strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. A subvariant of the Omicron variant (“B.1.1.529”). Kraken became the predominant strain in the United States at the end of 2022.

    Genetic sequences of isolates of the XBB.1.5 “Kraken” variant of SARS-CoV-2 were taken from GISAID, the global data science initiative

    2023, Marko E. Popovic, “XBB.1.5 Kraken cracked: Gibbs energies of binding and biosynthesis of the XBB.1.5 variant of SARS-CoV-2”, in Microbiological Research, volume 270, →DOI
    2 more examples

    In particular, a marked interest in the relationship between "sudden deaths - vaccines" and a significant interest in the relationship between vaccines and the COVID-19 Kraken variant, cancer, and myocarditis.

    2023, Alessandro Rovetta, “An integrated infoveillance approach using google trends and Talkwalker: Listening to web concerns about COVID-19 vaccines in Italy”, in Healthcare Analytics, volume 4, →DOI

    Two of the most recent variants that dominated the infected population in the United States (US) are XBB.1.5, also known as the Kraken variant, and JN.1.

    2025 April 1, Srishti Awasthi, Maryam Zolfaghari Dehkharghani, Miguel Fudolig, “Emergence to dominance: Estimating time to dominance of SARS-CoV-2 variants using nonlinear statistical models”, in PLoS One, →DOI

    Synonyms: Kraken, Kraken lineage, Kraken strain, Kraken sublineage, Kraken subvariant, XBB.1.5

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounThe highly transmissible XBB.1.5 strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. A subvariant of the Omicron variant (“B.1.1.529”). Kraken became the predominant strain in the United States at the end of 2022.

Similar
KrakenKraken lineageKraken strainKraken sublineageKraken subvariantXBB.1.5
Cite this entry
APA

Kraken variant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kraken%20variant

MLA

“Kraken variant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kraken%20variant. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kraken variant,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kraken%20variant.

Source: Kraken variant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.