antimicrobial
/ˌæn.ti.maɪˈkɹoʊ.bi.əl/adjective, noun
antimicrobial is spelled A-N-T-I-M-I-C-R-O-B-I-A-L: 13 letters and 6 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, antimicrobial means “Tending to destroy or capable of destroying microbes” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in antimicrobial?
| Letters | 13: A-N-T-I-M-I-C-R-O-B-I-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 6 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,556th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is antimicrobial?
Antimicrobial appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce antimicrobial?
- UK /ˌæn.ti.maɪˈkɹəʊ.bi.əl/
- US /ˌæn.ti.maɪˈkɹoʊ.bi.əl/
- US [ˌɛən.ti.maɪˈkɹoʊ.bi.əl]
Antimicrobial has 6 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-antimicrobial.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with antimicrobial
Also written: anti-microbial (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with antimicrobial?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as antimicrobial from its last stressed vowel (/oʊbiəl/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of antimicrobial
- anti-microbial
- antimicrobials plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does antimicrobial mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Tending to destroy or capable of destroying microbes.
- 2
Inhibiting the growth of microbes.
- 3
Preventing or counteracting the pathogenic action of microbes.
noun
- 1
An agent (drug or other substance) that destroys microbes (i.e., kills off a population of them).
- 2
An agent (drug or other substance) that inhibits the growth of microbes but does not kill their whole population.
- 3
An agent (drug or other substance) that counteracts the pathogenic action of microbes.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Antimicrobial in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense destroying microbes:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | antimicrobien |
| German | antimikrobiell |
| Portuguese | antimicrobiano |
| Spanish | antimicrobiano |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does antimicrobial come from?
From anti- + microbe + -ial.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).