anti-vaccine

adjective

ˌan-tē-vak-ˈsēn,
ˌan-ˌtī- How to pronounce anti-vaccine (audio)
-ˈvak-ˌsēn
variants or less commonly antivaccine
: opposed to the use of vaccines
A handful of parents and anti-vaccine activists told lawmakers … that they believe vaccines are responsible for countless cases of autism, learning disabilities and death.Jim Hughes
… the rising global threat of antivaccine sentiments and vaccine misinformation contributed to the WHO [=World Health Organization] classifying vaccine hesitancy as a top ten global health threat in 2019 …David M. Higgins and Sean T. O'Leary

Examples of anti-vaccine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist who dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Trump, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Laura Strickler, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024 Both Trump and Kennedy have said publicly that longtime anti-vaccine activist Kennedy will probably have a prominent role in health policy in a second Trump administration. Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024 If former President Donald Trump is elected president, the nation's loudest anti-vaccine proponent could conceivably be in a position to drastically transform U.S. health policy. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 For the companies that manufacture shots, an increase in anti-vaccine rhetoric could potentially translate to lower revenue. Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024 Kennedy is the founder of an anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense and has argued the 13 separate agencies under HHS, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, are in desperate need of reform. Joanne Haner, The Hill, 4 Nov. 2024 Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2024 Advertisement In recent years, Shasta County has attracted national attention for its embrace of voting conspiracy theories along with 2nd Amendment and anti-vaccine causes. Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024 Tags anti-vaccine Donald Trump Kamala Harris Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Joseph Choi, The Hill, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anti-vaccine was in 1880

Dictionary Entries Near anti-vaccine

Cite this Entry

“Anti-vaccine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-vaccine. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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