antiretroviral

adjective

an·​ti·​re·​tro·​vi·​ral ˌan-tē-ˈre-trō-ˌvī-rəl 

ˌan-tī-

: acting, used, or effective against retroviruses

antiretroviral drugs

antiretroviral therapy

antiretroviral noun

Examples of antiretroviral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Often those patients express concerns about keeping access to healthcare and life-saving medicine like antiretroviral therapy for HIV in the face of the cuts. — Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026

Too fearful of discrimination to go to hospitals for antiretroviral drugs, many transgender people have stopped taking them — significantly increasing their risk of transmission. — ABC News, 23 July 2026

While the state produces most antiretroviral drugs directly, PEPFAR funds the data capturers, tracing teams, and community health workers to keep patients on treatment. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 22 June 2026

Because of modern antiretroviral therapies (ART), most live near-normal lifespans and cannot transmit the virus. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for antiretroviral

• adenoviral
• antiviral
• retroviral
• chiral
• spiral
• viral

Medical Definition

antiretroviral

1 of 2 adjective

an·​ti·​ret·​ro·​vi·​ral -ˈre-trō-ˌvī-rəl 

variants also anti-retroviral

: acting, used, or effective against retroviruses

All four drugs, which inhibit HIV protease and thus interfere with viral maturation and replication, are the most potent antiretroviral agents available to treat patients with HIV disease.

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

antiretroviral therapy

see highly active antiretroviral therapy

antiretroviral

2 of 2 noun

variants also anti-retroviral

: an agent effective against retroviruses

Current anti-HIV drugs, or antiretrovirals, bind to specific HIV enzymes and impede their activity.

—Douglas D. Richman, Scientific American