noun

immunization

/ˌɪmjənɪˈzeɪʃən/ · say it: im·yuh·nuh·ZAY·shuhn

making someone resistant to a disease, usually by vaccine

In Medicine & Health

In more detail

1. (noun) the process of giving someone a vaccine so their body can fight against a disease

2. (noun) protection against a disease that you get from a vaccine or from having had the disease before

Examples

1. Immunization against measles is required before children start school.
2. The immunization provided by the vaccine lasts for several years.

How to use immunization

Immunization is the formal, medical term for the process of protecting someone against disease through vaccines, commonly used in clinical, public health, and official contexts. It is broader than vaccination in that it can refer to either the process of giving a vaccine or the resulting immunity. The term appears frequently in healthcare policy, medical records, and public health communications.

Common phrases

mass immunization
immunization program
immunization schedule
immunization campaign
routine immunization
childhood immunization

Synonyms

vaccination · inoculation · jab · shot · protection

Word family

immunize (verb) · immunized (adjective) · immunizing (adjective) · immunization (noun)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use immunization and vaccination interchangeably without recognizing that vaccination is the procedure of administering a vaccine, while immunization is the broader outcome of becoming immune.

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