allergic

adjective al·ler·gic \ ə-ˈlər-jik \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of allergic

1 : of, relating to, affected with, or caused by allergy

2 : having an aversion

allergic to work

See allergic defined for English-language learners

See allergic defined for kids

Examples of allergic in a Sentence

a lover of the outdoors who claims to be allergic to desk jobs

Recent Examples of allergic from the Web

The 25 percent tariff would be placed on raw ingredients for drugs such as insulin used by diabetics, the anti-allergic-reaction drug epinephrine, as well as vaccines, blood products and antidepressants, according to the list.

— Bloomberg.com, "Trump’s Scattergun Tariff List Sends China Companies Scrambling," 4 Apr. 2018
The woman had no history of other illness, such as asthma or heart disease, nor a history of being allergic to insect bites or bee stings before, according to her case study.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Woman dies after 'acupuncture' session that used live bees instead of needles," 23 Mar. 2018
Even those who are allergic to eggs should get the shot this year, according to Dr. Christopher Belcher, medical director of infection control for St. Vincent Health, who previously spoke to IndyStar.

— domenica bongiovanni, Indianapolis Star, "Why are people dying from the flu? It's happened even to those outside the at-risk groups," 10 Feb. 2018
Her whole story, in fact, interrogates the norms of now: our proud divisiveness, the allergic reaction to offense.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "Hayley Atwell on the Superwomen of “Howards End”," 6 Oct. 2014
Stories about allergic reactions to vaccines may be another reason some parents fear them.

— susan scutti, CNN, "Children with autism less likely to be fully vaccinated, study finds," 26 Mar. 2018
So far, no allergic reactions or illnesses have been reported as a result of the product, and all unsold affected cookies have been removed from shelves, according to the store.

— lindsey lanquist, SELF, "Trader Joe’s Just Recalled Its Chocolate Chip Cookies in 12 States," 20 Mar. 2018
The bartender said Guhl had had one margarita and also drank part of another that a friend had ordered, but had been unable to finish due to an allergic reaction.

— karen pilarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brookfield woman pleads to reduced charges in 2016 fatal crash," 16 Mar. 2018
In the past, the royal family was advised not eat shellfish to avoid possible food poisoning and any allergic reactions.

— morgan evans, Redbook, "9 Things You Didn't Know About Marrying a British Royal," 11 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'allergic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of allergic

1908

allergic Synonyms

Synonyms

antipathetic, averse;

Near Antonyms

friendly, sympathetic, tolerant, understanding;

admiring, appreciative, charmed, delighted, fond, pleased, tickled;

antagonistic, hostile, intolerant, negative, opposed, opposing, resistant, resisting, uncongenial, unfriendly, unsympathetic;

disgusted, nauseated, repelled, repulsed, revolted, shocked, squeamish, turned off;

Phrases

down on;

ALLERGIC Defined for English Language Learners

allergic

adjective

Definition of allergic for English Language Learners

: of or relating to an allergy
: having an allergy

ALLERGIC Defined for Kids

allergic

adjective al·ler·gic \ ə-ˈlər-jik \

Definition of allergic for Students

: of, relating to, causing, or affected by allergy

allergic to peanuts

an allergic reaction

Medical Dictionary

allergic

adjective al·ler·gic \ ə-ˈlər-jik \

medical Definition of allergic

1 : of, relating to, or characterized by allergy

an allergic reaction

allergic diseases

2 : affected with allergy : subject to an allergic reaction

he is allergic to pollen

—

allergically

\ə-ˈlər-ji-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

- The body reacts allergically, the skin reddening and breaking out in tiny blisters.
- —Paul G. Donohue, The Springfield (Massachusetts) Union-News, 18 Aug. 1993