pathogenic

adjective

path·o·gen·ic | \ ˌpa-thə-ˈje-nik

How to pronounce pathogenic (audio)

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Definition of pathogenic

1 : pathogenetic sense 1

2 : causing or capable of causing disease

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Examples of pathogenic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But drinking water contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, heavy metals or other harmful substances can cause diarrhea, brain damage, infertility and cancer. — Sera Young, Scientific American, "What's Really in Your Water?," 18 Apr. 2021 That risk, combined with the thin chance of some microbe turning dangerously pathogenic on a space mission, might be why nobody made much noise about the latest novel bacteria from the ISS. — Adam Rogers, Wired, "Sneaky New Bacteria on the ISS Could Build a Future on Mars," 5 Apr. 2021 Inspection officers working in meatpacking plants would get results about pathogenic infection in minutes; surveyors doing environmental monitoring or wastewater analysis can already do the same. — New York Times, "A DNA Sequencing Revolution Helped Us Fight Covid. What Else Can It Do?," 25 Mar. 2021 Only about 75 people in the world are known to have pathogenic CALM mutations, Professor Vinuesa said, including some parents without symptoms. — New York Times, "She Was Imprisoned for Killing Her 4 Children. But Was It Their Genes All Along?," 8 Mar. 2021 Or are people who have some of these conditions really suffering from a persistent infection, from a pathogenic invasion that the immune system keeps exciting itself by trying and failing to suppress? — Ross Douthat, Star Tribune, "Long-haul COVID and the chronic illness debate," 2 Feb. 2021 Other research has shown elderberry extract can help fight pathogenic bacteria and the flu virus. — Erica Sweeney, Good Housekeeping, "5 Ways Elderberry Syrup Benefits Your Health, According to Experts," 27 Jan. 2021 The soil is full of pathogenic fungi just waiting for a nice juicy fire ant to blunder into them. — Jennifer Frazer, Scientific American, "If It Smells like Dirt, Fire Ants Are Interested," 21 Nov. 2020 Indeed, phage viruses are responsible for creating the majority of pathogenic bacteria in the first place, thanks to their ability to move genes around. — Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, "When a Virus Is the Cure," 14 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pathogenic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

26 Apr 2021

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“Pathogenic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pathogenic. Accessed 6 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for pathogenic

pathogenic

adjective

patho·gen·ic | \ -ˈjen-ik

\

Medical Definition of pathogenic

1 : pathogenetic sense 1

2 : causing or capable of causing disease pathogenic microorganisms

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