thimerosal

noun

thi·​mer·​o·​sal thī-ˈmer-ə-ˌsal 

: a crystalline organic mercurial antiseptic C₉H₉HgNaO₂S used especially for its antifungal and bacteriostatic properties

Examples of thimerosal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Advertisement At its first meeting in June, the new ACIP committee heard a presentation on the risks of thimerosal, a preservative that anti-vaccine activists have claimed is linked to autism. —Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 5 Sep. 2025

June 26, 2025 ACIP recommends an RSV monoclonal antibody shot for babies but recommends against flu vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2025

The panel has yet to vote on COVID-19 recommendations, but has endorsed flu shots—limited to single-dose, thimerosal-free formulations. —Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025

The vaccine court spent years in the 2000s trying cases that alleged autism was caused by the vaccine ingredient thimerosal and the shot that protects people from measles, mumps and rubella. —Patricia Callahan, CNN Money, 18 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from thi- + mercury + -o- + salicylate

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for thimerosal

• counterproposal
• disposal
• petrosal
• proposal
• serosal

Medical Definition

thimerosal

noun

thi·​mer·​o·​sal thī-ˈmer-ə-ˌsal 

: a crystalline organic mercurial antiseptic C₉H₉HgNaO₂S used especially for its antifungal and bacteriostatic properties see merthiolate