Antivaxxer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who refuses or actively opposes vaccination and immunization programs
2. Someone who resists getting vaccinated or disputes the safety and efficacy of vaccines
3. An individual who rejects or campaigns against vaccination as a medical practice

Etymology: "Antivaxxer" is a modern formation built from parts that are each familiar: the prefix "anti-", meaning "against," and "vaxxer," a person who advocates or practises vaccination. The second part is itself a clipping of "vax," a shortened form of "vaccine," which has been spelled with the double letter to give it the look of a noun formed from a verb. Put together, the word names someone opposed to vaccines or to vaccination programmes. The "-er" ending does the same job it does in words like "teacher" or "rocker," turning the stem into a person associated with it. Because "vax" is informal, the whole word belongs to everyday and media English rather than to formal medical writing.

Synonyms: anti-vaxxer, vaccine skeptic

Antonyms: pro-vaxxer