ENGLISH
REFERENCE

abacterial

adj.
C2 Proficiency abac·te·ri·al

adj. describing something that does not have any bacteria in it. It is often used to talk about medical conditions where doctors cannot find a bacterial cause.

adj. characterised by the absence of bacteria; sterile. Often used in clinical contexts to describe inflammatory conditions where no bacterial pathogen is detectable.


SIMPLE

The test results show that the infection is abacterial.

CONTEXTUAL

The patient was diagnosed with abacterial prostatitis after multiple cultures failed to grow any harmful organisms.

COMPLEX

While the symptoms mirrored a typical infection, the abacterial nature of the sample suggested that the inflammation was likely caused by a chemical irritant rather than a biological agent.

Origin

From a- (“without”) + bacterial.

Usage

Typically used as a predicative or attributive adjective in medical and scientific registers.

© 2026 English Reference