variants or less commonly antivaccine
: opposed to the use of vaccines
A handful of parents and anti-vaccine activists told lawmakers … that they believe vaccines are responsible for countless cases of autism, learning disabilities and death.Jim Hughes
… the rising global threat of antivaccine sentiments and vaccine misinformation contributed to the WHO [=World Health Organization] classifying vaccine hesitancy as a top ten global health threat in 2019 …David M. Higgins and Sean T. O'Leary

Examples of anti-vaccine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Shaw has repeatedly claimed, without sharing evidence, that vaccines led to her children's deaths and talked about those claims on a podcast hosted by the controversial anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense. Kayna Whitworth, ABC News, 8 July 2026 The conservative assault on child health starts with the anti-vaccine campaign and proceeds to cutbacks in nutrition assistance and narrowed access to healthcare. Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026 And so, so the administration clearly has gotten off the anti-vaccine message into something more positive. CBS News, 28 June 2026 Like Kennedy, many of them hold anti-vaccine views and are also openly hostile to mRNA technology. Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 18 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for anti-vaccine

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anti-vaccine was in 1880

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Cite this Entry

“Anti-vaccine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-vaccine. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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