PATHOGENIC Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

pathogenic

adjective

Definition of pathogenic

as in infective

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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 pathogenic Federal law allows the interstate sale of unpasteurized cheese as long as it’s aged for at least 60 days, though this doesn’t fully eliminate the risk — or account for a farm using pathogenic milk to make it. — CNN Money, 14 June 2026 Wastewater monitoring sites can sense levels of disease in a community by detecting pieces of viral or other pathogenic DNA shed through feces, urine or other bodily fluids into municipal wastewater systems. — Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 10 June 2026 One small 2021 study on postmenopausal women showed that drinking just one glass of cranberry juice a day for two weeks significantly decreased pathogenic bacteria. — Cynthia Sass, Health, 27 Apr. 2026 But then suddenly after a winter of heavy rain followed by hot weather, long-dormant pathogenic fungi suddenly come to life due to excess water in the root zone and bring about the tree’s demise. — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pathogenic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pathogenic

Adjective

His provisional cause of death was given as multi-organ failure due to infective endocarditis, a rare infection of the inner lining or valves of the heart.

— Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
On July 30, Ray updated her fans again, revealing her diagnosis of infective endocarditis, a severe heart infection.

— Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 31 July 2024

Definition of infective

Adjective

Argentina's greatest strengths lie in their infectious unity and fierce mentality.

— Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 18 July 2026
In Orange County, the Florida Department of Health in Orange County maintains infectious-disease surveillance and disease-reporting services for residents and visitors, which is exactly how local systems stay ready without alarming the public.

— Luis E. Caso Vega, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 July 2026

Definition of infectious

Adjective

Some doctors employed wildly improbable cures when treating these pestilential tumors.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
Here a book worth considering is ‘From third world to first’ - Lee Kwan Yew's first person story of transforming Singapore from a pestilential swamp into a metropolis.

— Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024

Definition of pestilential

Adjective

Your liver is responsible for breaking down toxins and filtering them out of the body, essentially detoxifying you from harmful substances and chemicals.

— Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 22 July 2026
At our previous Yale CEO Caucus, over two-thirds of CEOs surveyed told us that Trump’s tariffs had been harmful to their own businesses, and 80% said that tariff costs had been passed on in part to consumers.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 22 July 2026

Definition of harmful

Adjective

Lydia Kiesling’s Mobility attempts something at once more traditional and more ambitious, exploring how a young woman tries to disentangle herself from the oil industry’s poisonous tendrils.

— Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Wildfire smoke contains noxious or poisonous gases and particulate matter, tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, affecting people with respiratory problems, says the Environmental Protection Agency.

— Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 16 July 2026

Definition of poisonous

Adjective

Legionella, the bacteria that causes the virulent form of pneumonia known as Legionnaires’ disease, has been detected in a cooling tower at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on New York’s Upper East Side.

— News Desk, Artforum, 15 July 2026
Deaths from influenza rose slightly, partly due to an unusually virulent strain circulating last year, although falling vaccination rates may also have contributed, The Wall Street Journal reported.

— Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of virulent

Adjective

The patient was selected because his condition, unlike cancers such as leukemia, did not carry the risk of reimplanting malignant cells along with the transplant that could lead to a recurrence.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 23 July 2026
That’s the day Prigge was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, an aggressive form of cancer.

— Amy Wenk, AJC.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of malignant

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pathogenetic

pathogenic

pathographies

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“Pathogenic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pathogenic. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of pathogenic

adjective

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