Definition

Adjective: 1. Susceptible, not protected: Describes a person or organism that lacks immunity or resistance to a specific disease, condition, or influence, and is therefore likely to be affected by it.

Usage

The adjective "nonimmune" is primarily used in medical, biological, and epidemiological contexts. It describes a state of vulnerability. It is often followed by the preposition "to" to specify the threat. * The primary function is to indicate a lack of specific protective antibodies or cellular defenses. * It can also be used more broadly to describe a lack of general resistance or protection.

Examples

• Medical Context:
  • Travelers who are nonimmune to yellow fever must get vaccinated before visiting certain regions.
  • The outbreak spread rapidly through the nonimmune population.
  • Patients receiving chemotherapy are often nonimmune to common infections.

Advanced Usage

• "nonimmune response": In medicine, this can refer to a bodily reaction that is not mediated by the adaptive immune system (e.g., an inflammatory response to a toxin).
• Figurative Use: While less common, it can be used metaphorically to describe vulnerability to non-medical influences.
  • The young company was nonimmune to the fluctuations of the stock market.

Variants and Related Words

• Nonimmunity (noun): The state of being nonimmune.
  • The study focused on the period of nonimmunity following the treatment.
• Immunocompromised (adjective): Having a weakened immune system, which is a related but more severe state than simply being nonimmune to a specific pathogen.

Synonyms

• Susceptible
• Vulnerable
• Liable (to)
• Unprotected
• Unvaccinated (in specific contexts)

Antonyms

• Immune
• Resistant
• Protected
• Insusceptible

Related Phrases

• Nonimmune individual: A standard phrase in epidemiology to refer to a person at risk.
• Nonimmune host: A biological term for an organism that can be infected by a pathogen.

Adjective

1. (often followed by `to') likely to be affected with
   • liable to diabetes