parasitic

adjective

par·​a·​sit·​ic ˌper-ə-ˈsi-tik 

ˌpa-rə-

variants or less commonly parasitical

ˌper-ə-ˈsi-ti-kəl 

ˌpa-rə-

1

: of, relating to, or being a parasite: such as

a(1)

: living on another organism in parasitism

Some caterpillars even sport white spots that resemble the eggs of the parasitic wasps that prey upon caterpillars …

—Mary Parker Sonis

a parasitic yeast/plant

Filariasis, caused by parasitic worms in the human lymphatic system and carried in mosquitoes, infects some eighty million people in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

—Wayne Biddle

(2)

: caused by or resulting from the effects of parasites

a parasitic disease/infection

(3)

of a bird : laying eggs in the nest of another bird

The cowbird and the cuckoo are parasitic birds.

b

: exploiting the hospitality of others : depending on another or others for existence or support without making a useful or adequate return

… manipulated and glorified by self-serving, parasitic northern bureaucrats.

—Edward Friedman

2

phonetics : of, relating to, or constituting a speech sound that is interposed between two other sounds usually as a by-product of transition from one place of articulation to another

The \ə\ in \ˈeləm\ for elm or in \ˈathəˌlēt\ for athlete, the \t\ in \fents\ for fence, and the \b\ and b in \ˈnimbəl\ nimble from Middle English nimel are parasitic.

parasitically

ˌper-ə-ˈsi-ti-kəl 

ˌpa-rə-

adverb

During sexually quiescent phase, lampreys live simply, communally or parasitically upon other fish.

—Earl W. Count

… those who live parasitically on the political system …

—John Derbyshire

Examples of parasitic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The genetic similarities between the parasitic and non-parasitic versions could be a result of interbreeding — which gives rise to a series of questions, according to Moffatt. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2024

The World Health Organization estimates over a billion people are infected with parasitic worms. —Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 9 May 2024

In the next film, Peter seeks Connors' expertise to analyze the substance of a parasitic Venom symbiote, who warns him about its aggressive nature and the challenges of breaking the bond once it's formed. —Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024

Their enemies, such as birds and parasitic wasps, can attack only a small fraction of them, leaving the rest free to reproduce. —Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024

The final scene shows a figure resembling Niko huddled up in an igloo with her parasitic Sprites (Max Jenkins, Caitlin Reilly). —Max Gao, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 May 2024

Also last year, Bangladesh succeeded in stamping out lymphatic filariasis, a debilitating parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes. —Charlie Campbell, TIME, 2 May 2024

But the parasitic infection didn't happen by accident. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024

Those scars lend further credence to the theory that the cohort indeed represents a new subtype because the parasitic fish only live in deep water. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing parasitic

• anti-parasitic

Kids Definition

parasitic

adjective

par·​a·​sit·​ic

ˌpar-ə-ˈsit-ik

: of or relating to parasites or their way of life : being a parasite

parasitically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Medical Definition

parasitic

1 of 2 adjective

par·​a·​sit·​ic ˌpar-ə-ˈsit-ik 

variants also parasitical

-i-kəl 

1

: relating to or having the habit of a parasite : living on another organism

2

: caused by or resulting from the effects of parasites

parasitically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

parasitic

2 of 2 noun

: parasiticide