nonimmune
adjective
non·im·mune
ˌnän-i-ˈmyün 
1
: not produced by, involved in, or relating to an immune response or the immune system
nonimmune cells
a nonimmune inflammatory response
2
: lacking immunity (as to a disease)
travelers who are nonimmune to local illnesses
Examples of nonimmune in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rather, as SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate in nonimmune populations globally, physical distancing and mask-wearing will keep its spread in check and, ideally, keep infection and death rates steady.
—
Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2020
As the coronavirus has fewer and fewer nonimmune people to infect, though, immune evasion will become a more and more important constraint on its evolution.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2022
But until a vaccine was developed in 1963, some nonimmune adults died every year.
—Monica Gandhi, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2021
As populations draw closer to herd immunity, the chance of a vaccinated person both carrying the virus and coming into close contact with a nonimmune person will become so low that the guidelines will change.
—James Hamblin, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2021
These outbreaks will not be driven by SARS-CoV-2 mutation or virulence, but by the further exposure of nonimmune people to the virus.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2020
Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2020
As the coronavirus has fewer and fewer nonimmune people to infect, though, immune evasion will become a more and more important constraint on its evolution.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2022
But until a vaccine was developed in 1963, some nonimmune adults died every year.
—Monica Gandhi, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2021
As populations draw closer to herd immunity, the chance of a vaccinated person both carrying the virus and coming into close contact with a nonimmune person will become so low that the guidelines will change.
—James Hamblin, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2021
These outbreaks will not be driven by SARS-CoV-2 mutation or virulence, but by the further exposure of nonimmune people to the virus.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonimmune.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1900, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Dictionary Entries Near nonimmune
Cite this Entry
“Nonimmune.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonimmune. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Medical Definition
nonimmune
1 of 2 adjective
non·im·mune
-im-ˈyün
1
: not produced by, involved in, or relating to an immune response or the immune system
drug-induced nonimmune thromobocytopenia
nonimmune cells
a nonimmune inflammatory response
2
: not immune : lacking immunity
The disease now seems to recur in urban areas about every seven years, when numbers of nonimmune individuals that are sufficient to support an outbreak accumulate.—Scientific American Medicine
Scientific American Medicinenonimmune
2 of 2 noun
: an individual that lacks immunity to a particular disease
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