PARASITES Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

parasites

noun

plural of parasite

as in leeches

a person who is supported by or seeks support from another without making an adequate return a parasite who lived in the family's basement and refused to get a job or pay rent

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of parasites The final step is ultraviolet disinfection, which uses high-intensity ultraviolet light to kill or inactivate viruses and parasites, such as giardia. — Piper Heath, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 The fish, having been medicated by this point, would have weakened immune systems unable to protect them against parasites. — John Donegan Long Beach Post, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026 But much of it appears to be little more than the remains of viruses and other molecular parasites. — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 9 Sep. 2026 Such color variations are thought to be associated with camouflage, protection against parasites and ultraviolet radiation, and the effects of pleiotropic genes (genes that influence more than one, usually unrelated, physical trait or phenotype). — Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Sep. 2026 What struck rescuers just as much, though, was the dog’s temperament beneath all those parasites. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026 The molecule also exists on malaria parasites; the researchers had been trying to identify allergen-specific monoclonal antibodies to neutralize infection, but none could bind well to the parasite. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 2 Sep. 2026 Caused by parasites spread via Anopheles mosquitoes, malaria can cause symptoms including nausea, headache and intense waves of fever and chills. — CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 In mid-May, India’s chief justice made some comments comparing unemployed youth to cockroaches and parasites. — Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for parasites

Noun

The lightning-fast process leeches out flavor and compromises textures, and can produce bland, mushy results.

— Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 June 2026
The fact is that leeches are relished by everything from walleyes and bass to trout and all the panfish.

— Byron W. Dalrymple, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026

Definition of leeches

Noun

The geographic features are hot spots of biodiversity, with corals, sponges and even an octopus garden, just like in the Beatles song.

— Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Abrasive sponges and cleaners can leave tiny marks behind that will dull and damage the surface over time.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of sponges

Noun

Hookworms are freeloaders that live at the host’s expense inside their gut, drinking about two drops of blood per day.

— Jay Kakade August 05, Refractor, 5 Aug. 2026
The wide-open scam enriched Haitian freeloaders as Bonheur personally netted a million bucks in just two years after Joe Biden rang the dinner bell for every grifter in the Third World.

— Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 July 2026

Definition of freeloaders

Noun

One of the senior henchmen of right-wing Christian politics saw this dangerous transformation unfolding from the inside.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026
While Sanji and Chopper fight off various henchmen, Luffy battles Wapol and eventually beats him with Sanj’s help.

— Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of henchmen

Noun

In late August, the hotel turns into a red-carpet event for celebrities, stars of the silver screen, and various hangers-on at the Venice Film Festival to which the Excelsior is inexorably linked, now enjoying its 10th decade.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026
The twisted tale involves a cadre of rappers and hangers-on, shootings in separate states, two deaths and various acts of betrayal.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of hangers-on

Noun

Ever since Bram Stoker popularized Count Dracula as a gothic figure of fantasy, the word vampire has been synonymous with undead bloodsuckers who vanish in a puff of smoke in the morning light (if not dazzle a little in the sunshine).

— Mike McRae August 25, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
These bloodsuckers can carry several potentially severe diseases, and shifting species ranges mean Lake County has a growing variety of ticks, said county Health Department Ecological Services Program Coordinator Alana Bartolai.

— Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026

Definition of bloodsuckers

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“Parasites.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parasites. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of parasites

noun

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