antiseptic
Other forms: antiseptics; antiseptically
If you are out to kill some microorganisms, an antiseptic will come in handy! If you go to a hospital for a cut on your arm, the nurse will apply an antiseptic to the wound because it will kill any bacteria, while not harming your healthy skin.
Antiseptic is also an adjective that describes the state of being clean and without disease-causing bacteria: "The antiseptic wash the nurse splashed over your arm was bright blue and smelled funny, but it kept your wound free of infection." Antiseptic can also describe something that is clean in a different way — as in, free of any objectionable language. A comedian's jokes could be so antiseptic that even your grandmother would like them.
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thoroughly clean and free of or destructive to disease-causing organisms“doctors in antiseptic green coats”“the antiseptic effect of alcohol”“it is said that marjoram has antiseptic qualities”synonyms:cleanfree from dirt or impurities; or having clean habitshealthfulconducive to good health of body or mindbactericidal, disinfectant, germicidalpreventing infection by inhibiting the growth or action of microorganismsnonpurulentnot containing pusgermfreefree from germs or pathogenic organisms; sterileantonyms:septiccontaining or resulting from disease-causing organismsunhealthfuldetrimental to good healthabscessedinfected and filled with puscontaminativemaking impure by contact or mixingsepticemiccharacteristic of septicemiagermyfull of germs or pathological microorganisms
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clean and honest“antiseptic financial practices”synonyms:incorruptfree of corruption or immorality
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devoid of objectionable language“lyrics as antiseptic as Sunday School”synonyms:clean, unobjectionable(of behavior or especially language) free from objectionable elements; fit for all observers
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freeing from error or corruption“the antiseptic effect of sturdy criticism”synonyms:purifyingfreeing from noxious matter
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a substance that destroys microorganisms that carry disease without harming body tissuestypes:chloramine, chloramine-Tany of several compounds containing chlorine and nitrogen; used as an antiseptic in woundschlorhexidinea long-lasting liquid antiseptic; used by surgeons to wash their hands before performing surgerygramicidinan antibiotic produced by a soil bacterium; used chiefly as an antiseptic in treating local infections produced by Gram-positive bacteriaiodoform, triiodomethanea yellowish crystalline solid with a penetrating odor; sometimes used as an antiseptic dressingMercurochrome, merbrominea mercurial compound applied topically as an antiseptic; Mercurochrome is the trademarkArgyrol, mild silver proteinantiseptic consisting of a compound of protein and silver (trade name Argyrol)Neobiotic, fradicin, neomycinan antibiotic obtained from an actinomycete and used (as a sulphate under the trade name Neobiotic) as an intestinal antiseptic in surgeryMerthiolate, sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate, thimerosala light-colored crystalline powder (trade name Merthiolate) used as a surgical antisepticiodine, tincture of iodinea tincture consisting of a solution of iodine in ethyl alcohol; applied topically to wounds as an antiseptictype of:medicament, medication, medicinal drug, medicine(medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease
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Vocabulary lists containing antiseptic
Looking to build your vocabulary? Then practice this list of 300 "hard words" — the kind that used to be tested on the SAT before 2016. If you're a high school student prepping for the SAT, check out Vocabulary.com's Roadmap to the SAT, which focuses on the vocabulary you'll need to ace today's SAT test.
When tragedy strikes, Esperanza's family has to leave their ranch in Mexico and move to a farmworkers' camp during the Great Depression.