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Immunity

n. resilient, hopeful professional

What it means

Meaning 1

The body's ability to resist a particular infection or harmful agent.

Reach for it when discussing biological protection without claiming absolute safety

The study measures how long immunity remains after the final dose.

Meaning 2

Protection from a legal duty, penalty, or process.

Reach for it when naming a formally granted exemption in legal or institutional contexts

The agreement offered limited immunity for truthful testimony.

Words to choose between 6

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
professional
formal

Meaning 1: The body's ability to resist a particular infection or harmful agent.

  • everyday

    defense

    Fits when the body's protective response is described as a system

    Careful Defense is metaphorical and does not identify immune status precisely.

  • everyday

    protection

    Fits when broad reduction of risk is the honest claim

    Careful Protection can come from barriers or behavior rather than immunity.

  • professional

    resistance

    Fits when reduced susceptibility is the measured biological property

    Careful Resistance may be partial and can arise without immune memory.

Meaning 2: Protection from a legal duty, penalty, or process.

  • professional

    indemnity

    Fits when protection from specified financial loss or liability is meant

    Careful Indemnity usually concerns compensation, not freedom from prosecution.

  • formal

    exemption

    Fits when a rule or obligation does not apply in this case

    Careful Exemption is broader than immunity and may be administrative rather than legal.

  • formal

    safe conduct

    Fits when official protection permits passage or participation

    Careful Safe conduct is narrow and does not erase wider legal liability.

Opposites 3

  • susceptibility
  • vulnerability
  • liability

Common phrases 3

  • lasting immunity

    Researchers have not yet established whether the response gives lasting immunity.

  • herd immunity

    The lecture explained herd immunity without presenting it as protection for every individual.

  • grant immunity

    Only the authorized court may grant immunity under the agreement.

Usage notes

Keep in mind

The biological sense does not imply complete or permanent protection; duration and degree depend on the specific disease and immune response.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated