anti-vaccine

adjective

anti-vac·​cine ˌan-tē-vak-ˈsēn  ˌan-ˌtī- 

-ˈvak-ˌsēn

variants or less commonly antivaccine

: opposed to the use of vaccines

A handful of parents and anti-vaccine activists told lawmakers … that they believe vaccines are responsible for countless cases of autism, learning disabilities and death.

—Jim Hughes

… the rising global threat of antivaccine sentiments and vaccine misinformation contributed to the WHO [=World Health Organization] classifying vaccine hesitancy as a top ten global health threat in 2019 …

—David M. Higgins and Sean T. O'Leary

Examples of anti-vaccine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There is nothing in the religion that is inherently anti-vaccine, but historically, their vaccination rates have been lower than those of the general population, Goldman said. — Erika Edwards, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026

Kennedy, who was an anti-vaccine activist before entering politics and has sent mixed messages to Americans about getting the measles vaccine, scares her. — Ali Swenson, STAT, 30 Sep. 2026

Kennedy last year dismissed the committee and replaced it with a group that included several anti-vaccine voices. — Mike Stobbe, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

In 2021, he was banned from Instagram for posting false anti-vaccine content. — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for anti-vaccine

• acetylene
• adamantine
• adenosine
• amphetamine
• anthropocene
• apoprotein
• aquamarine
• arsphenamine
• azobenzene
• buprenorphine
• catecholamine
• chlorobenzene