antiviral

[ an-tahy-vahy-ruhl, an-tee- ]

adjective
  1. Medicine/Medical, Pharmacology.

    • (of a drug or therapy) developed to effectively treat an infection caused by a virus.

    • of or relating to a substance used to prevent or treat a viral infection:Raw garlic has been found to have antiviral properties.

  2. Computers. (of software) programmed to detect, neutralize, and remove computer viruses.

noun
  1. Medicine/Medical, Pharmacology. an antiviral drug, other substance, or therapy.

Origin of antiviral

1
First recorded in 1925–30; anti- + viral

Words Nearby antiviral

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How to use antiviral in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for antiviral

antiviral

/ (ˌæntɪˈvaɪrəl) /


adjective
  1. inhibiting the growth of viruses

noun
  1. any antiviral drug: used to treat diseases caused by viruses, such as herpes infections and AIDS

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