nonimmune

adjective

non·​im·​mune ˌnän-i-ˈmyün How to pronounce nonimmune (audio)
1
: not produced by, involved in, or relating to an immune response or the immune system
nonimmune cells
a nonimmune inflammatory response
2
: lacking immunity (as to a disease)
travelers who are nonimmune to local illnesses

Examples of nonimmune 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.
Rather, as SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate in nonimmune populations globally, physical distancing and mask-wearing will keep its spread in check and, ideally, keep infection and death rates steady. Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2020 As the coronavirus has fewer and fewer nonimmune people to infect, though, immune evasion will become a more and more important constraint on its evolution. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2022 But until a vaccine was developed in 1963, some nonimmune adults died every year. Monica Gandhi, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2021 As populations draw closer to herd immunity, the chance of a vaccinated person both carrying the virus and coming into close contact with a nonimmune person will become so low that the guidelines will change. James Hamblin, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2021 These outbreaks will not be driven by SARS-CoV-2 mutation or virulence, but by the further exposure of nonimmune people to the virus. Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonimmune was in 1900

Dictionary Entries Near nonimmune

Cite this Entry

“Nonimmune.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonimmune. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

nonimmune

1 of 2 adjective
non·​im·​mune -im-ˈyün How to pronounce nonimmune (audio)
1
: not produced by, involved in, or relating to an immune response or the immune system
drug-induced nonimmune thromobocytopenia
nonimmune cells
a nonimmune inflammatory response
2
: not immune : lacking immunity
The disease now seems to recur in urban areas about every seven years, when numbers of nonimmune individuals that are sufficient to support an outbreak accumulate.Scientific American Medicine

nonimmune

2 of 2 noun
: an individual that lacks immunity to a particular disease
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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