# avirulent

**Pronunciation:** /eɪˈvɪr.jə.lənt/ · ay-VIR-yuh-lent

**Part of speech:** adjective

## Meaning

Not capable of causing disease or harm to a host organism.

## Examples

- Researchers successfully created an avirulent strain of the bacteria that could be used safely in a vaccine.
- The virus became avirulent after repeated passages through cell cultures in the lab.
- While the original pathogen was deadly, this specific variant proved to be completely avirulent.

## Synonyms

- harmless — A general term for anything not causing injury.
- benign — Often used in medical contexts to describe non-threatening growths.
- nonpathogenic — A precise scientific term for organisms that do not cause disease.
- innocuous — Describes something that is not offensive or harmful.

## Antonyms

- virulent — Describes a pathogen that is extremely infectious and harmful.
- pathogenic — Describes an agent that is capable of causing disease.

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