Meaning & use
intramuscularly
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Meaning
adverbnot comparablemedical
Into a muscle, describing how a medicine or vaccine is given by injection.
Grammar: Follows the verb it describes: the vaccine is given intramuscularly.
Patterns
- inject something intramuscularly
- given intramuscularly
The nurse injected the vaccine intramuscularly into the upper arm.
This drug can be taken orally or given intramuscularly.
Antibiotics were administered intramuscularly because the patient could not swallow.
Common combinations
- administered intramuscularly
- The medicine is administered intramuscularly once a week.
- injected intramuscularly
- The vaccine is injected intramuscularly into the thigh.
- given intramuscularly
- The drug is usually given intramuscularly in an emergency.
- delivered intramuscularly
- The dose was delivered intramuscularly by a trained nurse.
Synonyms and how they differ
- by IM injection
- By IM injection is the chart shorthand, whereas intramuscularly is the full adverb used in sentences.
- into the muscle
- Into the muscle is the plain-language phrase and works well for patients, while intramuscularly sounds technical.
Opposites
Word family
- intramuscular adjective
- inside or into a muscle
- muscle noun
- body tissue that contracts to cause movement
- muscular adjective
- relating to muscles
- intravenously adverb
- into a vein
- subcutaneously adverb
- under the skin
Commonly confused: intramuscularly or intravenously?
intramuscularly vs intravenously
Intravenously means into a vein, while intramuscularly means into a muscle; the injection site and speed of action differ.
Practice
The flu vaccine is usually given ___ in the upper arm.
Choose one answer.
Flu shots go into the arm muscle, so intramuscularly is correct. Intravenously means into a vein, which is the tempting but wrong choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “intramuscularly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.