inoculation

noun

in·​oc·​u·​la·​tion i-ˌnä-kyə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: the act or process or an instance of inoculating

especially : the introduction of a pathogen or antigen into a living organism to stimulate the production of antibodies

2

: inoculum

Examples of inoculation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Early in his life, Franklin was opposed to smallpox inoculation and even used his older brother’s printing press to spread anti-vaccine sentiments—at times inadvertently stoking violence against vaccine proponents. —Michael Sheldrick, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025

Jurin then compared the level of risk with the larger risk of dying from contracting actual smallpox and found that inoculation was safer. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 18 Jan. 2025

The first round was completed in mid-September with the second round beginning in mid-October with brief humanitarian pauses to allow for inoculation. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2024

Thanks to President Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed, inoculations had begun mid-December 2020. —Mark Zachary Taylor, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1714, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

inoculation

noun

in·​oc·​u·​la·​tion in-ˌäk-yə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: the act or an instance of inoculating

2

: material used in inoculating

Medical Definition

inoculation

noun

in·​oc·​u·​la·​tion in-ˌäk-yə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: the act or process or an instance of inoculating: as

a

: the introduction of a microorganism into a medium suitable for its growth

b(1)

: the introduction of a pathogen or antigen into a living organism to stimulate the production of antibodies

(2)

: the introduction of a vaccine or serum into a living organism to confer immunity

travelers in the tropics should have typhoid inoculations

2

: inoculum