The Meaning of Asymptomatic: What It Is and How To Use It

We have all heard the word asymptomatic on the news. But what does this word mean? This article will provide the meaning of asymptomatic and more!

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According to Medical News, the word asymptomatic refers to an infection or disease that does not produce any symptoms in those infected. 

Many different types of disease can be asymptomatic, such as hepatitis, chlamydia, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, herpes, hypertension, breast cancer, cholera, kidney stones, measles, rubella, endometriosis, common colds/flu, and type-2 diabetes mellitus. Asymptomatic is currently commonly used to refer to asymptomatic cases of COVID-19. 

What Are the Symptoms of COVID-19?

Many of the most common symptoms of COVID-19 are a cough, headache, body aches, sore throat, chest pain, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fever, and loss of smell. 

However, recent studies show that perhaps up to 20% of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic, although asymptomatic individuals can still spread disease. Having no symptoms of COVID-19 may mean that you have a small viral load thanks to the coronavirus vaccines, but you can still transmit SARS-COV-2 to others who may not ultimately be asymptomatic. 

Asymptomatic Infection and COVID-19

If you test positive for COVID-19, even if you are asymptomatic, the World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control recommend self-isolating to prevent COVID-19 transmission. 

Even if you do not have symptoms, you can still spread germs via close contact, even to someone with a COVID-19 vaccination. Make sure that you quarantine for the recommended amount of time if you test positive for the novel coronavirus, as you can still be a carrier and spread COVID-19 infection.

Some people also start out as asymptomatic at an early stage and develop symptoms later. The illness or virus may start out as fairly dormant in asymptomatic people and then become a symptomatic infection later in the course of the infection. 

Asymptomatic infection is still dangerous regarding COVID-19 and may be one of the reasons this disease spreads so quickly. If people do not have any symptoms, they may not think that they have it and may choose not to get tested. Then, they are more likely to go out into the world and see people without personal protective equipment, thus spreading the disease without their knowledge. 

How Do You Say Asymptomatic Around the World?

If you are keeping up with international news, it could be useful to know how to say the word asymptomatic in a variety of different languages. This list of translation of the word asymptomatic is here to help. 

While many of these words are recognizable because they look and sound similar to the word asymptomatic, it is still very helpful to study foreign language words. 

  •  Dutch: asymptomatisch‎
  •  Portuguese: assintomático‎
  •  Italian: asintomatico‎
  •  Catalan: asimptomàtic‎
  •  Arabic: بِدُون أَعْرَاض‎, بِلَا أَعْرَاض‎
  •  Spanish: asintomático‎
  •  French: asymptomatique‎
  •  Turkish: asemptomatik‎
  •  Hungarian: tünetmentes‎
  •  Czech: asymptomatický‎
  •  Russian: бессимпто́мный‎

How Can the Word Asymptomatic Be Used in a Sentence?

Once you know the definition of the word asymptomatic, you can start using it in a sentence. The word asymptomatic is an adjective, which means that it is used to describe nouns.  

A person could be described as asymptomatic, as can their infection. Take a look at the example sentences containing the word asymptomatic below in order to learn about the potential ways asymptomatic can be used in a sentence. 

Example One

Person 1: Hey dude! Want to come to my birthday party on Friday?

Person 2: I can’t, I just tested positive for COVID. I have an asymptomatic infection, but I’m still going to quarantine for the recommended length of time. I wouldn’t want to get anyone sick.

Person 1: Totally! Thanks for letting me know. 

Example Two

Person 1: Hey, you feeling okay? I heard you tested positive too.

Person 2: No, I feel awful. I have basically every symptom in the book. What about you?

Person 1: I’m asymptomatic. I’m so sorry to hear you’re not feeling well. 

What Are Synonyms of the Word Asymptomatic?

For example, suppose you are writing an article about asymptomatic students who are infected with COVID-19 on campus. Then, you may find yourself using the word asymptomatic often. 

Using the same word frequently in a piece of writing can get boring and repetitive. Instead, you can try to use a synonym like the ones below from Power Thesaurus in order to find words that have the same meaning as asymptomatic. These synonyms will keep your writing fresh and fun to read. 

  •  asymptomatic patient
  •  exhibiting no symptoms of a disease
  •  having no symptoms
  •  lacking symptoms
  •  not exhibiting any symptoms
  •  not exhibiting any symptoms of a disease
  •  patient having no symptoms
  •  patient who exhibits no symptoms
  •  patient with no symptoms
  •  patient without symptoms
  •  presenting no symptoms
  •  producing no symptoms
  •  showing no evidence of a disease
  •  showing no signs of a disease
  •  showing no symptoms
  •  showing no symptoms of a disease

What Are Antonyms of Asymptomatic?

If you are trying to describe someone who is symptomatic or who has symptoms of a particular illness, you can use an antonym of the word asymptomatic. Try looking at this list of antonyms for asymptomatic from Power Thesaurus to get started.

  •  achy
  •  ailing
  •  airsick
  •  at death’s door
  •  bad
  •  bedridden
  •  below par
  •  carsick
  •  crappy
  •  crook
  •  cruddy
  •  crummy
  •  diseased
  •  feeble
  •  frail
  •  green about the gills
  •  laid up
  •  like death warmed up
  •  lousy
  •  not up to snuff
  •  seedy
  •  sick
  •  under the weather
  •  unwell
  •  weak

Conclusion

Overall, the word asymptomatic means without symptoms. This is often used to refer to a person who is infected with COVID-19 but does not show any symptoms. 

Sources:

  1. 48 Words and Phrases for Asymptomatic | Power Thesaurus 
  2. Asymptomatic antonyms – 131 Opposites of Asymptomatic | Power Thesaurus 
  3. What Does it Mean to Have an Asymptomatic Disease? | Medical News