immunosuppressive

1 of 2

adjective

im·​mu·​no·​sup·​pres·​sive ˌi-myə-nō-sə-ˈpre-siv 

i-ˌmyü-nō-

: causing or characterized by immunosuppression

This pneumonia is characteristically an opportunistic infection, occurring in people whose immune system has been profoundly impaired by cancer or by powerful immunosuppressive drugs.

—William L. Heyward and James W. Curran

Progression of conditions associated with human papillomavirus, such as cutaneous warts, is common in patients receiving long-term immunosuppressive therapy after transplantation.

—Nektarios I. Lountzis et al.

immunosuppressive

2 of 2

noun

plural immunosuppressives

: immunosuppressant

The trials may also be too risky for people who are severely immunocompromised—i.e., you have cancer or take immunosuppressives.

—Julia Ries

Examples of immunosuppressive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Doctors have to strike a balance when prescribing immunosuppressive drugs: too low a dose can lead to rejection, while too much can make a patient vulnerable to infection. —Emily Mullin, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024

This reduces the risk of rejection and eliminates the need for immunosuppressive drugs, which may have side effects. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024

In those cases, patients take immunosuppressive medicine for more than a year, Lagali said. —Aria Bendix, NBC News, 11 Aug. 2022

By the mid-1970s, Dr. Calne was testing a new immunosuppressive drug, cyclosporine, championed by Jean-François Borel of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Sandoz. —Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2024

While transplant recipients will receive immunosuppressive drugs to control these responses, scientists still don’t know how well these drugs will work on patients who receive animal organs. —Elizabeth Svoboda, Discover Magazine, 3 Dec. 2023

There’s potential that a stem cell infusion from kidney donors might help prevent organ rejection — allowing patients to perhaps wean from immunosuppressive drugs. —Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 3 Nov. 2023

Both Bennett's and Faucette's procedures used standard immunosuppressive drugs in addition to an experimental one. —Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 18 Oct. 2023

As with other immunosuppressive drugs, Faucette must receive it for the rest of his life to prevent his new heart from being rejected. —WIRED, 25 Sep. 2023

Noun

However, the short-term release of cortisol is not bad, as cortisol is known to have immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects. —Dominique Fluker, Essence, 14 June 2023

Some people should not get the vaccine, including pregnant women, people with certain blood disorders or those on prolonged immunosuppressive therapy, and those with a moderate or severe illness, among others. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 10 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

immuno- + suppressive, after immunosuppression

Noun

derivative of immunosuppressive entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1963, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1965, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

immunosuppressive

1 of 2 adjective

im·​mu·​no·​sup·​pres·​sive ˌim-yə-nō-sə-ˈpres-iv  im-ˌyü-nō- 

: causing or characterized by immunosuppression

… graft-versus-host disease strikes the skin, gut, liver and lymph tissues and can lead to death unless rapidly brought under control by immunosuppressive drugs.

—Joan Arehart-Treichel, Science News

These drugs may also have immunosuppressive actions, which may contribute to their ability to induce permanent remissions of Graves' disease.

—Kiyoshi Hashizume et al., The New England Journal of Medicine

immunosuppressive

2 of 2 noun

: immunosuppressant