antioxidant

IPA/ˌæntiˈɒksɪdənt/
KK[ˌæntiˈɑksədənt]IPA/ˌæntiˈɑːksɪdənt/

antioxidant — noun

  • antioxidantsingular
  • antioxidantsplural

1. a substance, often found naturally in foods such as fruit and vegetables, that h

1.nounB2
Definition

a substance, often found naturally in foods such as fruit and vegetables, that helps prevent a chemical process called oxidation — a reaction that can damage the body's cells, similar to how metal rusts over time

Example

The nutritionist, Amara Okafor, told her patients that leafy greens are packed with natural antioxidants.

collocation: packed with antioxidants

A daily bowl of blueberries provides enough antioxidants to support healthy skin and eyes.

countable usage: provides antioxidants as a general property

Common collocations
  • packed with antioxidants
  • antioxidant-rich foods
  • contains antioxidants
  • natural antioxidants
  • a powerful antioxidant
  • source of antioxidants
Synonyms
  • free radical scavenger

    a more technical term used in scientific writing for the same function

  • preservative

    overlaps in the food-storage sense, but preservative is broader and includes synthetic chemicals

Antonyms
  • oxidant

    a substance that causes oxidation, the opposite chemical effect

Grammar Patterns

antioxidant in [food]

rich in antioxidants

antioxidant-rich [food]

Usage Note

Antioxidant can be used as a countable noun (referring to specific substances, e.g. 'vitamin C and E are antioxidants') or an uncountable mass noun (e.g. 'this fruit is high in antioxidant'). The compound form 'antioxidant-rich' is common in health writing.

Common Mistakes

I take antioxidant every morning.
I take an antioxidant supplement every morning.
When used as a countable singular noun, antioxidant usually needs a determiner (a, the, some).
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that prevents colds.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that supports the immune system.
Vitamin C does not reliably prevent colds; avoid overstating health claims.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While antioxidant, preservative, antibiotic, and vitamin all relate to substances that affect the body or food, they work in very different ways. An antioxidant specifically prevents a chemical reaction called oxidation — the same process that turns cut apples brown. A preservative is any substance added to food to stop it from spoiling, which may or may not involve oxidation; preservatives include salt, sugar, and artificial chemicals. An antibiotic kills bacteria inside the body and has nothing to do with oxidation. A vitamin is an essential nutrient the body cannot produce on its own, and some vitamins (C and E) happen to act as antioxidants, but not all vitamins do. For example, vitamin D helps with bone health and is not an antioxidant, whereas beta-carotene is an antioxidant but is not an essential vitamin in the same way.

preservativeantibiotic ↗vitamin ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • rich in antioxidants
  • high in antioxidants
  • contains antioxidants
  • packed with antioxidants

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

Antioxidant is formed from the prefix anti- (meaning 'against') and the word oxidant (a substance that causes oxidation). The root ox- comes from the French oxygène ('oxygen'), which itself traces back to the Greek oxys, meaning 'sharp' or 'acid'. The term first appeared in English in the early 20th century as chemists began studying how certain substances could prevent oxygen from damaging materials and living tissue.

First known use

1919

1919, in the meaning defined above