asymptomatic

IPA/ˌeɪsɪmptəˈmætɪk/
KK[ˌesˌɪmptəmˈætɪk]IPA/ˌeɪsɪmptəˈmætɪk/

asymptomatic — adjective

  • asymptomaticpositive
  • more asymptomaticcomparative
  • most asymptomaticsuperlative

1. having a disease or infection but not showing any signs that you are ill

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

having a disease or infection but not showing any signs that you are ill

Example

Femi tested positive for the virus but stayed asymptomatic all week.

pattern: test positive but remain asymptomatic

Doctors kept the asymptomatic passengers at home for five more days.

Common collocations
  • remain asymptomatic
  • asymptomatic case
  • asymptomatic patient
  • asymptomatic infection
Synonyms
  • symptom-free

    more everyday and often used when a person no longer has symptoms

  • symptomless

    close in meaning but less common in ordinary speech

  • healthy

    not exact; someone can be asymptomatic and still carry a disease

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be asymptomatic

asymptomatic case / patient / infection

Usage Note

Used mainly in medical and public-health contexts for people or cases where a disease is present without outward signs. It often appears after verbs like 'be', 'remain', and 'stay'.

Common Mistakes

The patient is healthy because she is asymptomatic.
The patient is asymptomatic, but tests still show an infection.
'asymptomatic' only means there are no symptoms; it does not prove the person is healthy.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Asymptomatic, symptom-free, and symptomless all describe a person who is not showing outward signs of illness, but they are not used in exactly the same way. Asymptomatic is the standard medical and public-health term, especially when a test confirms that an infection or condition is present. Symptom-free is more everyday and often appears in updates after treatment or recovery. Symptomless means almost the same as asymptomatic, but it is less common in daily speech. Healthy is not a true synonym, because a person can be asymptomatic and still carry a virus or another condition. If test results matter, choose asymptomatic; if you are giving a simple family update, symptom-free may sound more natural.

asymptomatic ↗symptom-freesymptomlesshealthy ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be asymptomatic
  • remain asymptomatic
  • asymptomatic case

Etymology

GreekEnglish

This word was formed in modern medical English by adding the negative prefix 'a-' meaning 'without' to 'symptomatic'. It ultimately goes back to Greek 'symptoma', the source of the word 'symptom'. Today it is used when an illness or condition is present but does not produce outward signs that the patient can notice.

First known use

1856

1856, in the meaning defined above