Allergic
/əˈlɜːrdʒɪk/
adjectiveBeginner📊CommonMedical
1 meaning1 question
Definitions
1
Having a hypersensitive immune system that reacts abnormally to a particular substance.
/əˈlɜːrdʒɪk/
adjectiveneutralBeginner
Medical
Having an allergy
He is allergic to pollen.
💡 Simply: Sensitive to something that causes a reaction.
More Examples
2
Many people are allergic to certain types of food.
How It's Used
Medical
"She's allergic to peanuts."
Everyday conversation
"I'm allergic to cats; their fur makes me sneeze."
From French *allergique*, from *allergie*, from German *Allergie*, coined in 1906 by Clemens von Pirquet.
The word 'allergic' gained prominence in medical terminology during the 20th century with a better understanding of immunology.
Memory tip
Think 'allergy' - it's a reaction to something.
Word Origin
LanguageGerman
Original meaning
"altered reaction"
allergic reactionallergic toseverely allergic
Common misspellings
alergicallagicallergik
Practice
Usage
40%Spoken
60%Written