antiradical

adjective

an·​ti·​rad·​i·​cal
ˌan-tē-ˈra-di-kəl,
ˌan-tī- How to pronounce antiradical (audio)
variants or anti-radical
1
: opposed to or hostile toward radical movements or ideologies
antiradical sentiment
a time of antiradical hysteria in the country
2
medical : counteracting the harmful effects of free radicals on the body
… employing antiradical agents to halt the neurological damage triggered by oxygen radicals after strokes or injuries to the head and spinal cord … Linda Marsa
antiradicalism noun
A similar form of conservative antiradicalism produced the Red Scare after the bombing of the home of Mitchell Palmer, the new attorney general in 1919 … Barbara Franz

Word History

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of antiradical was in 1819

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Cite this Entry

“Antiradical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antiradical. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

Medical Definition

antiradical

adjective
variants or anti-radical
: counteracting the harmful effects of free radicals on the body
… others are employing antiradical agents to halt the neurological damage triggered by oxygen radicals after strokes or injuries to the head and spinal cord … Linda Marsa, The Los Angeles Times
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