allergy
noun
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Definition of allergy
1 : altered bodily reactivity (such as hypersensitivity) to an antigen in response to a first exposure a bee venom allergy so severe that a second sting may be fatal
2 : exaggerated or pathological immunological reaction (as by sneezing, difficult breathing, itching, or skin rashes) to substances, situations, or physical states that are without comparable effect on the average individual
3 : medical practice concerned with allergies
4 : a feeling of antipathy or aversion
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Synonyms & Antonyms for allergy
Synonyms
averseness, aversion, disfavor, disinclination, dislike, disliking, disrelish, down [chiefly British], mislike
Antonyms
appetite, favor, fondness, like, liking, partiality, preference, relish, shine, taste, use
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Examples of allergy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet there isn’t an approved medicine that can prevent the allergy attacks. — Peter Loftus, WSJ, "Experimental Drug Shows Promise Protecting Against Peanut Allergies," 18 Nov. 2018 Trattner treats everything from anxiety to allergies to weight gain to that weird dull pain, right here, that won’t quite go away. — Brennan Kilbane, Allure, "Meet the Woman Who Uses Alternative Medicine and Gemstone Facials to Treat Patients," 19 Oct. 2018 New amenities like in-flight Wi-Fi have helped smooth the rougher edges off its basic in-flight service, which on most hops consists of a bag of pretzels (its trademark peanuts recently got the axe due to food allergy concerns). — Barbara Peterson, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best U.S. Airlines: 2018 Readers' Choice Awards," 9 Oct. 2018 Southwest Airlines will no longer serve peanuts, citing allergy concerns. — Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, "Morning Spin: Union that endorsed Democrat J.B. Pritzker gives Conservative Party candidate Sam McCann nearly $80K," 11 July 2018 On the flip side, addressing your allergies can make wearing contacts more comfortable. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Here’s Why Your Eyes Are Burning When You Put In Your Contacts," 10 Oct. 2018 One common reason ears just won't pop? Colds or allergies, which cause your mucus membranes to become inflamed. — Brian Sumers, Condé Nast Traveler, "How to Pop Your Ears on a Plane—And Why They Pop, Anyway," 10 Sep. 2018 Charlie is a rather strange 13-year-old who cuts off pigeon's heads and plays fast and loose with her nut allergy. — refinery29.com, "The Annoying Thing That Is Ruining Hereditary For Everyone," 12 June 2018 And while Mr Trump has never hidden his allergy to multilateralism, today his cabinet has fewer dissenting voices. — The Economist, "Europe has few good options for dealing with Donald Trump," 17 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'allergy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for allergy
allergy
noun
English Language Learners Definition of allergy
: a medical condition that causes someone to become sick after eating, touching, or breathing something that is harmless to most people
See the full definition for allergy in the English Language Learners Dictionary
allergy
noun
\
Kids Definition of allergy
: a condition in which a person is made sick by something that is harmless to most people
allergy
noun
\
Medical Definition of allergy
1 : altered bodily reactivity (as hypersensitivity) to an antigen in response to a first exposure his bee-venom allergy may render a second sting fatal
2 : exaggerated or pathological reaction (as by sneezing, respiratory embarrassment, itching, or skin rashes) to substances, situations, or physical states that are without comparable effect on the average individual
3 : medical practice concerned with allergies
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