Meaning & use
lytic
Last updated
Relating to or causing lysis, the breakdown or destruction of cells.
See it in a sentence
The virus triggers a lytic cycle that ruptures and kills the host cell.
Doctors prescribed a lytic enzyme to help dissolve the blood clot.
A note on using this word
Lytic comes from the Greek word lysis, meaning a loosening, and is contrasted in virology with the lysogenic cycle, in which the host cell survives.
Words with a similar meaning
dissolvingcytolytic
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
lysogenic
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