adj, noun — 6 senses
UK /ˌæn.ti.maɪˈkɹəʊ.bi.əl/ · US /ˌæn.ti.maɪˈkɹoʊ.bi.əl/
Etymology From anti- + microbe + -ial.
Medicine, Pharmacology, Sciences Tending to destroy or capable of destroying microbes.
Medicine, Pharmacology, Sciences Inhibiting the growth of microbes.
Medicine, Pharmacology, Sciences Preventing or counteracting the pathogenic action of microbes.
Etymology From anti- + microbe + -ial.
An agent (drug or other substance) that destroys microbes (i.e., kills off a population of them).
An agent (drug or other substance) that inhibits the growth of microbes but does not kill their whole population.
An agent (drug or other substance) that counteracts the pathogenic action of microbes.
Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.