Meanings
nounantibiotic (plural antibiotics)
plural antibiotics
- medicineAny substance that can destroy or inhibit the growth of bacteria and similar microorganisms, generally transported by the lymphatic system.
We selected colistimethate sodium (CMS) as our antibiotic of choice.
2015 November 7, “Lung Microbiota Changes Associated with Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lung Infection and the Impact of Intravenous Colistimethate Sodium”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI1 more example
On a summer visit back to the farm here where I grew up, I think I figured out the central problem with modern industrial agriculture. It’s not just that it produces unhealthy food, mishandles waste and overuses antibiotics in ways that harm us all.
2009 August 22, Nicholas Kristof, “Food for the Soul”, in The New York Times
adjectiveantibiotic (comparative more antibiotic, superlative most antibiotic)
comparative more antibiotic · superlative most antibiotic
- medicineOf or relating to antibiotics.
- obsoleteOf or relating to the theory that extraterrestrial life does not exist.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna chemical substance derivable from a mold or bacterium that can kill microorganisms and cure bacterial infections
Similar
antibiotic drug
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchantibiotique
- Englishantibiotic
Borrowed from French antibiotique; by surface analysis, anti- + -biotic.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُضَادّ حَيَوِيّ
- مُضَادّ حَيَوِيّ (muḍādd ḥayawiyy)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Bulgarian антибио́тик
- антибио́тик (antibiótik)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Catalan antibiòtic, antibiòtic
- antibiòticsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibiòticof or relating to antibiotics
Chinese Mandarin 抗生素, 抗菌素
- 抗生素 (kàngshēngsù)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- 抗菌素 (kàngjūnsù)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- 抗生素的 (kàngshēngsù de)of or relating to antibiotics
- 抗菌素的 (kàngjūnsù de)of or relating to antibiotics
Czech antibiotikum, antibiotický
- antibiotikumsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibiotickýof or relating to antibiotics
Danish antibiotikum, antibiotisk
- antibiotikumsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibiotiskof or relating to antibiotics
Dutch antibioticum, antibiotisch
- antibioticumsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibiotischof or relating to antibiotics
Esperanto antibiotiko, antibiotika
- antibiotikosubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibiotikaof or relating to antibiotics
Estonian antibiootikum
- antibiootikumsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Finnish antibiootti, antibioottinen
- antibioottisubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibioottinenof or relating to antibiotics
French antibiotique, antibiotique
- antibiotiquesubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibiotiqueof or relating to antibiotics
German Antibiotikum, antibiotisch
- Antibiotikumsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibiotischof or relating to antibiotics
Greek αντιβιοτικό
- αντιβιοτικό (antiviotikó)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Hebrew אַנְטִיבְּיוֹטִיקָה
- אַנְטִיבְּיוֹטִיקָה (antibyótika)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Hindi प्रतिजैविक
- प्रतिजैविक (pratijaivik)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Hungarian antibiotikum, baktericid
- antibiotikumsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- baktericidsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Icelandic sýklalyf
- sýklalyfsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Indonesian antibiotik
- antibiotiksubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Irish antaibheathach, frithbheathach
- antaibheathachsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- frithbheathachsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antaibheathachof or relating to antibiotics
- frithbheathachof or relating to antibiotics
Italian antibiotico, antibiotico
- antibioticosubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibioticoof or relating to antibiotics
Japanese 抗生物質
- 抗生物質 (kōseibusshitsu)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Korean 항생물질, 항생제
- 항생물질 (hangsaengmuljil)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- 항생제 (hangsaengje)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Latvian antibiotika
- antibiotikasubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Lithuanian antibiotikas
- antibiotikassubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Malay antibiotik
- antibiotiksubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Māori (rongoā) paturopi, (rongoā) patupokenga
- (rongoā) paturopisubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- (rongoā) patupokengasubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Norwegian antibiotikum, antibiotisk
- antibiotikumsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibiotiskof or relating to antibiotics
Persian آنتیبیوتیک, پادزیست
- آنتیبیوتیک (ânti-biyotik)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- پادزیست (pâd-zist)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Polish antybiotyk, antybiotyczny
- antybiotyksubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antybiotycznyof or relating to antibiotics
- antybiotykowyof or relating to antibiotics
Portuguese antibiótico, antibiótico
- antibióticosubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibióticoof or relating to antibiotics
Romanian antibiotic
- antibioticsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Russian антибио́тик, антибиоти́ческий
- антибио́тик (antibiótik)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- антибиоти́ческий (antibiotíčeskij)of or relating to antibiotics
Slovak antibiotikum, antibiotický
- antibiotikumsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibiotickýof or relating to antibiotics
Spanish antibiótico, antibiótico
- antibióticosubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibióticoof or relating to antibiotics
Swahili antibiotiki, kiuavijasumu
- antibiotikisubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- kiuavijasumusubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Swedish antibiotikum, antibiotisk
- antibiotikumsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibiotiskof or relating to antibiotics
Tagalog labanhayanin, antibiyotiko
- labanhayaninsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- antibiyotikosubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- labanhanayinof or relating to antibiotics
Thai ยาปฏิชีวนะ, ปฏิชีวนะ
- ยาปฏิชีวนะ (yaa-bpà-dtì-chii-wá-ná)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- ปฏิชีวนะ (bpà-dtì-chii-wá-ná)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Turkish antibiyotik
- antibiyotiksubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Ukrainian антибіо́тик
- антибіо́тик (antybiótyk)substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Vietnamese kháng sinh, trụ sinh
- kháng sinhsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
- trụ sinhsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Welsh gwrthfiotig
- gwrthfiotigsubstance that destroys or inhibits bacteria
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with antibiotic
eroticexoticaquaticchaoticasymptoticnarcotichypnoticidioticneuroticbioticsymbioticosmoticamnioticprobioticsemioticdespoticoticquixoticsclerotichomoeroticheterotichomeoticautoeroticNilotic
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
antibiotic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antibiotic
MLA
“antibiotic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antibiotic. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “antibiotic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antibiotic.
Source: antibiotic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.