parasitic

adjective

par·​a·​sit·​ic ˌper-ə-ˈsi-tik 

ˌpa-rə-

variants or less commonly parasitical

ˌper-ə-ˈsi-ti-kəl 

ˌpa-rə-

1

: of, relating to, or being a parasite: such as

a(1)

: living on another organism in parasitism

Some caterpillars even sport white spots that resemble the eggs of the parasitic wasps that prey upon caterpillars …

—Mary Parker Sonis

a parasitic yeast/plant

Filariasis, caused by parasitic worms in the human lymphatic system and carried in mosquitoes, infects some eighty million people in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

—Wayne Biddle

(2)

: caused by or resulting from the effects of parasites

a parasitic disease/infection

(3)

of a bird : laying eggs in the nest of another bird

The cowbird and the cuckoo are parasitic birds.

b

: exploiting the hospitality of others : depending on another or others for existence or support without making a useful or adequate return

… manipulated and glorified by self-serving, parasitic northern bureaucrats.

—Edward Friedman

2

phonetics : of, relating to, or constituting a speech sound that is interposed between two other sounds usually as a by-product of transition from one place of articulation to another

The \ə\ in \ˈeləm\ for elm or in \ˈathəˌlēt\ for athlete, the \t\ in \fents\ for fence, and the \b\ and b in \ˈnimbəl\ nimble from Middle English nimel are parasitic.

parasitically

ˌper-ə-ˈsi-ti-kəl 

ˌpa-rə-

adverb

During sexually quiescent phase, lampreys live simply, communally or parasitically upon other fish.

—Earl W. Count

… those who live parasitically on the political system …

—John Derbyshire

Examples of parasitic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Those scars lend further credence to the theory that the cohort indeed represents a new subtype because the parasitic fish only live in deep water. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2024

These tiny, parasitic insects are also unsettling and can be tough to get rid of. —USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2024

These diseases include bacterial infections like campylobacter and salmonella and parasitic infections like cryptosporidium, giardia and tapeworm. Symptoms can include abdominal cramping, diarrhea, fever and vomiting. —Katia Hetter, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024

Season 3 sees the show open its vision of the larger world throughout Westeros, with vaguely parasitic entities like the Brotherhood Without Banners foreshadowing the religious groups that would ascend throughout the show's later years. —Darren Franich, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024

That’s the case with ivermectin, which the FDA has approved as a treatment for parasitic diseases, but not for COVID. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024

Further labs and imaging at the hospital showed that the cysts were parasitic tapeworm larvae that had taken up residence in his brain and caused an infection called neurocysticercosis, the report said. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024

From the parasitic mating techniques of some anglerfish to vibrant bioluminescent displays by deep-sea squid, here are two of the most interesting ways the ocean keeps life alive at her depths. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

She’s seen an uptick in varicella, also known as chicken pox, and even some parasitic problems caused by poor drinking water that migrants have consumed on their journeys to the United States. —Julia Ainsley, NBC News, 27 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing parasitic

• anti-parasitic

Kids Definition

parasitic

adjective

par·​a·​sit·​ic

ˌpar-ə-ˈsit-ik

: of or relating to parasites or their way of life : being a parasite

parasitically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Medical Definition

parasitic

1 of 2 adjective

par·​a·​sit·​ic ˌpar-ə-ˈsit-ik 

variants also parasitical

-i-kəl 

1

: relating to or having the habit of a parasite : living on another organism

2

: caused by or resulting from the effects of parasites

parasitically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

parasitic

2 of 2 noun

: parasiticide