antiviral
1 of 2adjective
an·ti·vi·ral ˌan-tē-ˈvī-rəl 
ˌan-tī-
1
medical : acting, effective, or directed against viruses
an antiviral vaccine/drug
2
: used to protect a computer from viruses : antivirus
antiviral software
antiviral
2 of 2noun
: an antiviral agent and especially a drug
antivirals used in treating influenza
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2022 Similar stories have emerged of long Covid symptoms dissipating after a five-day course of Pfizer’s antiviral drug Paxlovid. Marla Broadfoot, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Aug. 2022 She has been twice vaccinated and twice boosted with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, and is taking the antiviral drug Paxlovid. Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Aug. 2022 Jill Biden, who is double-vaccinated and twice-boosted, is taking the Pfizer antiviral drug Paxlovid, as the president did after his recent COVID infection. Harold Maass, The Week, 17 Aug. 2022 An antiviral drug called tecovirimat (TPOXX) in the Strategic National Stockpile, which is approved for smallpox, can be prescribed for monkeypox. Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2022 The first lady is experiencing mild symptoms and has been prescribed a course of Paxlovid, an antiviral drug. Carlie Porterfield, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2022 She has been prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and will isolate at the vacation home for at least five days. Zeke Miller, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Aug. 2022 She has been prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and will isolate at the vacation home for at least five days. Jim Tankersley, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2022 Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 31 July 2022 More than 15,000 courses of a 5-day antiviral called Tpoxx has also been made available to monkeypox patients through the federal government, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Tuesday. Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2022 Paxlovid is currently the most effective oral antiviral available for Covid. David Cox, Wired, 9 Aug. 2022 Paxlovid rebounds, in particular, have received a lot of attention in recent weeks, with both President Joe Biden and his chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci testing positive several days after taking the antiviral. Reynolds Lewis, NBC News, 2 Aug. 2022 TerMeer said his clinic has just received enough resources to begin prescribing the antiviral even though patients have been asking for it for weeks. Ariel Cohen, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Aug. 2022 And although the treatment has been effective for many, some have reported rebound cases of COVID-19 after taking the antiviral. Glenn Garner, PEOPLE.com, 31 July 2022 Emergent told Forbes the acquisition of the antiviral—which the FDA approved for use against smallpox in 2021 and is also known as Tembexa—has not yet closed and Chimerix did not respond to Forbes’ requests for comment. Robert Hart, Forbes, 28 May 2022 Pfizer is expecting another $32 billion in vaccine sales this year in addition to $22 billion in sales of its COVID-fighting antiviral, Paxlovid. Fortune, 20 Apr. 2022 See More
Adjective
She had been prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid, which has been effective at preventing serious disease and death among those at highest risk from COVID-19. Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2022 Similar stories have emerged of long Covid symptoms dissipating after a five-day course of Pfizer’s antiviral drug Paxlovid. Marla Broadfoot, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Aug. 2022 She has been twice vaccinated and twice boosted with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, and is taking the antiviral drug Paxlovid. Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Aug. 2022 Jill Biden, who is double-vaccinated and twice-boosted, is taking the Pfizer antiviral drug Paxlovid, as the president did after his recent COVID infection. Harold Maass, The Week, 17 Aug. 2022 An antiviral drug called tecovirimat (TPOXX) in the Strategic National Stockpile, which is approved for smallpox, can be prescribed for monkeypox. Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2022 The first lady is experiencing mild symptoms and has been prescribed a course of Paxlovid, an antiviral drug. Carlie Porterfield, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2022 She has been prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and will isolate at the vacation home for at least five days. Zeke Miller, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Aug. 2022 She has been prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and will isolate at the vacation home for at least five days. Jim Tankersley, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2022 Noun
Another possibility is that the antiviral is not as effective against the newer variants and subvariants. Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 31 July 2022 More than 15,000 courses of a 5-day antiviral called Tpoxx has also been made available to monkeypox patients through the federal government, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Tuesday. Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2022 Paxlovid is currently the most effective oral antiviral available for Covid. David Cox, Wired, 9 Aug. 2022 Paxlovid rebounds, in particular, have received a lot of attention in recent weeks, with both President Joe Biden and his chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci testing positive several days after taking the antiviral. Reynolds Lewis, NBC News, 2 Aug. 2022 TerMeer said his clinic has just received enough resources to begin prescribing the antiviral even though patients have been asking for it for weeks. Ariel Cohen, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Aug. 2022 And although the treatment has been effective for many, some have reported rebound cases of COVID-19 after taking the antiviral. Glenn Garner, PEOPLE.com, 31 July 2022 Emergent told Forbes the acquisition of the antiviral—which the FDA approved for use against smallpox in 2021 and is also known as Tembexa—has not yet closed and Chimerix did not respond to Forbes’ requests for comment. Robert Hart, Forbes, 28 May 2022 Pfizer is expecting another $32 billion in vaccine sales this year in addition to $22 billion in sales of its COVID-fighting antiviral, Paxlovid. Fortune, 20 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
Adjective
1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1959, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
antiviral 1 of 2
adjective
an·ti·vi·ral -ˈvi-rəl
variants also antivirus
-rəs
: acting, effective, or directed against viruses
antiviral drugs
antiviral
2 of 2noun
: an antiviral agent and especially a drug