Immunization
noun
noun ·5 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The process by which a person is safely exposed in a controlled manner to a material that is designed to prime their immune system against that material. US, uncountable
"Near-synonym: vaccination (broadly synonymous)"
- 2 the act of making immune (especially by inoculation) wordnet
- 3 One such exposure. US, countable
"The first immunization a baby gets is against HBV."
- 4 The process by which any organism's body develops immunity against a pathogen. US, uncountable
"Immunization via previous infection is not unusual among infectious diseases, but the degree and duration of such immunization varies by disease and depends on other factors as well (such as immunocapability and dietary sufficiency)."
Example
More examples"If you have a certificate of immunization, please bring it when you come."
Etymology
From French immunisation. Coined by Albert Calmette. Equivalent to immunize + -ation or immune + -ization.
Related phrases
More for "immunization"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.