thimerosal
noun
thi·mer·o·sal
thī-ˈmer-ə-ˌsal 
: a crystalline organic mercurial antiseptic C9H9HgNaO2S used especially for its antifungal and bacteriostatic properties
Examples of thimerosal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Weldon stoked fears by introducing a bill to ban vaccines that contained thimerosal, even though they had already largely been removed.
—
Judy Stone, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Early on, Kennedy focused on thimerosal, a preservative, but after it was removed from most childhood vaccines in 2001, Iannelli said Kennedy shifted to other ingredients, known and unknown, falsely blaming them for myriad childhood illnesses.
—Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 1 Mar. 2025
Kennedy has a long history of promoting conspiracies about childhood vaccines, including the theory that the preservative thimerosal—which has been phased out of most modern vaccine formulas—is linked to autism, a claim that’s been thoroughly discredited by medical studies.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
However, most vaccines used in recent decades no longer contain thimerosal because of manufacturing changes.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 27 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for thimerosal
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.
Judy Stone, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Early on, Kennedy focused on thimerosal, a preservative, but after it was removed from most childhood vaccines in 2001, Iannelli said Kennedy shifted to other ingredients, known and unknown, falsely blaming them for myriad childhood illnesses.
—Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 1 Mar. 2025
Kennedy has a long history of promoting conspiracies about childhood vaccines, including the theory that the preservative thimerosal—which has been phased out of most modern vaccine formulas—is linked to autism, a claim that’s been thoroughly discredited by medical studies.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
However, most vaccines used in recent decades no longer contain thimerosal because of manufacturing changes.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 27 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for thimerosal
Cite this Entry
“Thimerosal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thimerosal. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
thimerosal
noun
thi·mer·o·sal
thī-ˈmer-ə-ˌsal
: a crystalline organic mercurial antiseptic C9H9HgNaO2S used especially for its antifungal and bacteriostatic properties see merthiolate
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share