Word.ws English Dictionary

triclosan

/ˈtɹɪ.klə.sæn/

triclosan noun: a widely used wide-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal agent, with molecular formula C₁₂H₇Cl₃O₂, which works by disrupting the growth of microbes, rather than actively killing them.

triclosan: a widely used wide-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal agent, with molecular formula C₁₂H₇Cl₃O₂,...
Image: Harbin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

triclosan (uncountable)

  1. A widely used wide-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal agent, with molecular formula C₁₂H₇Cl₃O₂, which works by disrupting the growth of microbes, rather than actively killing them.
    • While the active ingredient in the Vicks product, triclosan, is covered under F.D.A. regulations for certain antiseptic uses, that does not include P.& G.’s directions that users should leave the sanitizer on their hands, without rinsing with water, according to the letter.2007 September 19, Bloomberg News, “F.D.A. Warns Procter on Hand Sanitizer Advertising”, in New York Times

Questions about triclosan

What does triclosan mean?
Triclosan means a widely used wide-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal agent, with molecular formula C₁₂H₇Cl₃O₂, which works by disrupting the growth of microbes, rather than actively killing them.
What part of speech is triclosan?
Triclosan is a noun.
How do you pronounce triclosan?
Triclosan is pronounced /ˈtɹɪ.klə.sæn/.

Words near triclosan in the dictionary

  1. triclocarban
  2. triclofos
  3. triclonide
  4. triclops
  5. triclopyr
  6. triclosan
  7. triclustering
  8. triclusterings
  9. tricoastal
  10. tricoat
  11. tricoated

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: triclosan (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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