Disinfectant

//dɪs.ɪnˈfɛktənt// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1
A substance that kills germs or viruses. countable, uncountable
"The scalpels were soaked in disinfectant before the operation so disease wouldn't be spread."
2
an agent (as heat or radiation or a chemical) that destroys microorganisms that might carry disease wordnet

Adjective

1
Serving to kill germs or viruses. not-comparable
"I washed repeatedly with a disinfectant soap but I still caught the flu."

Adjective

1
preventing infection by inhibiting the growth or action of microorganisms wordnet

Synonyms

acaricide anthelmintic antibiotic antimicrobial antimicrobic antiseptic

Antonyms

bleach infect infecting

Example

"Effective use of disinfectant is an important subject in relation to infection control in hospitals."

Etymology

From disinfect + -ant, borrowed from French désinfectant.

Related phrases

disinfectant time sunlight is the best disinfectant germ cleaner germ killer killing germs like bleach

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