nonimmune

1 7.4

Not protected against a disease and likely to get it

adjective
/ˌnɒnɪˈmjun/

Specialized

: no inmune

Nonimmune children are more likely to develop serious complications from common diseases.

Examples

Many nonimmune individuals are at higher risk of catching the flu during an outbreak.
Lastly, more diversity in the geographic origin of the strains and a mix of nonimmune and semiimmune patients would lead to more heterogeneous study groups.

Academic text (2014)
Travelers who are nonimmune to certain infections may need vaccinations before their trip.

Synonyms

liable

vsnonimmune

47 5.0

Likely to experience something unpleasant

applies specifically to lacking biological protection from a disease or agent

unresistant

vsnonimmune

Specialized

1 6.8

Easily harmed by disease or chemicals

is specifically about lacking biological protection against disease agents

nonresistant

vsnonimmune

1 6.1

Easily suffers harm from disease, force, or other influence

focuses on susceptibility to disease agents rather than physical forces

Antonyms

immune

Specialized

204 4.1

Protected against a disease or infection, often after vaccination

How Immune

immune

Specialized

204 4.1

resistant

57 4.2

nonimmune

Specialized

1 7.4

vulnerable

590 4.0

Surface Forms

nonimmune positive

Morphology

nonimmune = immune (transparent) = non + immune

The meaning is clearly derived from the prefix 'non-' indicating negation and the base word 'immune'.

Etymology

Nonimmune is made from the prefix non- and the word immune, where non- means 'not', as in nonstop, and immune means 'protected from disease'. So nonimmune means 'not protected', someone who can catch a disease, which is why we use it for people who are likely to be affected by an illness.