infected

adjective

in·​fect·​ed in-ˈfek-təd 

: having an infection : contaminated with an infective agent (such as a bacterium or virus)

an infected wound

Through a number of different means, these viruses persist at very low, hard-to-detect levels in infected cells.

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

She explains that leptospirosis bacteria are shed in the urine of infected animals.

—Tania Banak

The fungus produces as many as 1 million conidia per square centimeter of infected leaf surface.

—G. B. Lucas

Examples of infected in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, living or dead. — CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026

West Nile virus is typically contracted by humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026

About 80% of people who become infected do not develop symptoms, while fewer than 1% develop severe illness or neurological complications. — Jessie Baltaxe, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

T cells, a type of immune cell that detects and destroys infected or abnormal cells, normally perform this inspection. — William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of infect

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for infected

• affected
• bisected
• collected
• connected
• corrected
• defected
• deflected
• dejected
• detected
• directed
• dissected
• effected