antiretroviral

adjective

an·​ti·​re·​tro·​vi·​ral ˌan-tē-ˈre-trō-ˌvī-rəl How to pronounce antiretroviral (audio)
ˌan-tī-
: acting, used, or effective against retroviruses
antiretroviral drugs
antiretroviral therapy
antiretroviral noun

Examples of antiretroviral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Meanwhile, the administration’s freeze on foreign aid halted PEPFAR, a program that has, for more than 20 years, helped deliver HIV antiretroviral drugs to vulnerable populations around the world, and saved more than 25 million lives. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025 Novel antiretroviral drugs introduced in 1996 offered medical scientists the hope of disease elimination through public health campaigns, centered on widespread testing and treatment, implemented in 2013. Powel H. Kazanjian, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2025 Physicians learned this week that between both programs there are enough antiretroviral drugs in Haiti to cover the three months of the Trump administration’s freeze. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2025 Programs like that have the potential to significantly lower costs for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, which provides antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS and had been given a limited waiver to continue to operate at the end of January. Dan Ruetenik, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for antiretroviral

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of antiretroviral was in 1979

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Antiretroviral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antiretroviral. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Medical Definition

antiretroviral

1 of 2 adjective
an·​ti·​ret·​ro·​vi·​ral -ˈre-trō-ˌvī-rəl How to pronounce antiretroviral (audio)
variants also anti-retroviral
: acting, used, or effective against retroviruses
All four drugs, which inhibit HIV protease and thus interfere with viral maturation and replication, are the most potent antiretroviral agents available to treat patients with HIV disease.The Journal of the American Medical Association
antiretroviral therapy
see highly active antiretroviral therapy

antiretroviral

2 of 2 noun
variants also anti-retroviral
: an agent effective against retroviruses
Current anti-HIV drugs, or antiretrovirals, bind to specific HIV enzymes and impede their activity.Douglas D. Richman, Scientific American
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!