anti-vaccine

adjective

anti-vac·​cine ˌan-tē-vak-ˈsēn  ˌan-ˌtī- 

-ˈvak-ˌsēn

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

The agency is overseen by Kennedy, who was a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement before he was tapped to lead the CDC and other federal health agencies. — Mike Stobbe, Fortune, 15 July 2026

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

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for anti-vaccine

• acetylene
• adamantine
• adenosine
• amphetamine
• anthropocene
• apoprotein
• aquamarine
• arsphenamine
• azobenzene
• buprenorphine
• catecholamine
• chlorobenzene