parasitic

adjective

par·​a·​sit·​ic ˌper-ə-ˈsi-tik How to pronounce parasitic (audio)
ˌpa-rə-
variants or less commonly parasitical
1
: of, relating to, or being a parasite: such as
a(1)
: living on another organism in parasitism
Some caterpillars even sport white spots that resemble the eggs of the parasitic wasps that prey upon caterpillars …Mary Parker Sonis
a parasitic yeast/plant
Filariasis, caused by parasitic worms in the human lymphatic system and carried in mosquitoes, infects some eighty million people in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.Wayne Biddle
(2)
: caused by or resulting from the effects of parasites
a parasitic disease/infection
(3)
of a bird : laying eggs in the nest of another bird
The cowbird and the cuckoo are parasitic birds.
b
: exploiting the hospitality of others : depending on another or others for existence or support without making a useful or adequate return
… manipulated and glorified by self-serving, parasitic northern bureaucrats.Edward Friedman
2
phonetics : of, relating to, or constituting a speech sound that is interposed between two other sounds usually as a by-product of transition from one place of articulation to another
The \ə\ in \ˈeləm\ for elm or in \ˈathəˌlēt\ for athlete, the \t\ in \fents\ for fence, and the \b\ and b in \ˈnimbəl\ nimble from Middle English nimel are parasitic.
parasitically adverb
During sexually quiescent phase, lampreys live simply, communally or parasitically upon other fish. Earl W. Count
… those who live parasitically on the political system … John Derbyshire

Examples of parasitic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Finding an Embedded Tick on Your Dog Ticks are small, parasitic arachnids that latch onto a host to feed on their blood. Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2024 This shift threatens the sustainability of platforms that originally provided the training data for these AI systems, creating a parasitic relationship that could ultimately harm both content creators and the AI systems that depend on them. Virginie Berger, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024 And after eons of being imprisoned and thinking of ways to punish his parasitic children, Knull suddenly realizes that Eddie and Venom’s unique symbiosis has created the MacGuffin necessary to set him free. Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 24 Oct. 2024 Brain Damage may be his career highlight; young, attractive Brian (Rick Hearst) becomes dependent on the fluids of a parasitic brain worm (voiced by Philadelphia horror host John Zacherle) who seduces him into murder to supply the creature with brain food. Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for parasitic 

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of parasitic was in 1630

Dictionary Entries Near parasitic

Cite this Entry

“Parasitic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parasitic. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

parasitic

adjective
par·​a·​sit·​ic
ˌpar-ə-ˈsit-ik
: of or relating to parasites or their way of life : being a parasite
parasitically
-i-k(ə-)lē
adverb

Medical Definition

parasitic

1 of 2 adjective
par·​a·​sit·​ic ˌpar-ə-ˈsit-ik How to pronounce parasitic (audio)
variants also parasitical
1
: relating to or having the habit of a parasite : living on another organism
2
: caused by or resulting from the effects of parasites
parasitically adverb

parasitic

2 of 2 noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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