antiseptic

¹an·ti·sep·tic

adj \ˌan-tə-ˈsep-tik\

Definition of ANTISEPTIC

1

a : opposing sepsis, putrefaction, or decay; especially : preventing or arresting the growth of microorganisms (as on living tissue) b : acting or protecting like an antiseptic

2

: relating to or characterized by the use of antiseptics

3

a : scrupulously clean : aseptic b : extremely neat or orderly; especially : neat to the point of being bare or uninteresting c : free from what is held to be contaminating

4

a : coldly impersonal <an antiseptic greeting> b : of, relating to, or being warfare conducted with cold precision from a safe distance with few or no casualties on one's side <antiseptic bombings>

— an·ti·sep·ti·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Examples of ANTISEPTIC

1. <known for keeping a strenuously antiseptic kitchen, the floor of which does indeed seem fit for eating off of>
2. <for such an expensive, elegant Sunday brunch, one would expect the attendants at the buffet tables to be professionally attired in starched, antiseptic white jackets>

Origin of ANTISEPTIC

anti- + Greek sēptikos putrefying, septic

First Known Use: 1751

Related to ANTISEPTIC

Synonyms: neat, bandbox, crisp, groomed, kempt, orderly, picked up, prim, shipshape, smug, snug, tidied, tidy, trig, trim, uncluttered, well-groomed

Antonyms: disheveled (or dishevelled), disordered, disorderly, messy, mussed, mussy, sloven, slovenly, unkempt, untidy

Related Words: dapper, natty, saucy, smart, spiffy, spruce; immaculate, spick-and-span (or spic-and-span), spotless; rakish, sleek, streamlined, taut; organized, straight, systematic

Near Antonyms: scruffy, seedy, shabby, slipshod, sloppy; dirty, filthy, foul, nasty, sordid, squalid; dowdy, frowsy (or frowzy), rumpled, tousled, tumbled; disorganized, unsystematic

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Other Pharmacology Terms

anodyne, cathartic, emetic, emollient, liniment, paregoric, poultice, purgative, soporific, spectrum

Rhymes with ANTISEPTIC

analeptic, cataleptic, epileptic, narcoleptic, nympholeptic