infected

adjective

in·​fect·​ed in-ˈfek-təd 

: having an infection : contaminated with an infective agent (such as a bacterium or virus)

an infected wound

Through a number of different means, these viruses persist at very low, hard-to-detect levels in infected cells.

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

She explains that leptospirosis bacteria are shed in the urine of infected animals.

—Tania Banak

The fungus produces as many as 1 million conidia per square centimeter of infected leaf surface.

—G. B. Lucas

Examples of infected in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Listeriosis, or Listeria infection, can cause a range of symptoms in infected individuals. —Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025

The report states that six of the infected people had recently traveled to Cuba. —Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025

There is also a risk that infected travelers could spread the virus to unaffected areas, the CDC says. —Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025

It can be spread by contact with infected birds, commingling with wild birds or wild bird droppings, and contact with equipment or clothing worn by anyone working with infected animals, DATCP says. —Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of infect

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for infected

• affected
• bisected
• collected
• connected
• corrected
• defected
• deflected
• dejected
• detected
• directed
• dissected
• effected