adj, noun ·6 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A drug having the effect of killing or inhibiting bacteria.

   "Many household products contain antibacterials."

2. 2
   any drug that destroys bacteria or inhibits their growth wordnet

Adjective

1. 1
   Killing or inhibiting bacteria. not-comparable

   "This drug has an antibacterial effect."

2. 2
   Opposing the theory that diseases are caused by bacteria. archaic, not-comparable

Adjective

1. 1
   destroying bacteria or inhibiting their growth wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

antibacterial drugbactericide

Example

More examples

"Honey is antibacterial and it never spoils."

Etymology

From anti- + bacterial.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.