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Parasite

/ˈpæɹəˌsaɪt/

A person who lives on other people's efforts or expense and gives little or nothing back.

Full Dictionary Entry

📖 Definitions of "Parasite"

noun

1
A person who lives on other people's efforts or expense and gives little or nothing back.
2
A sycophant or hanger-on.
3
An organism that lives on or in another organism of a different species, deriving benefit from living on or in that other organism, while not contributing towards that other organism sufficiently to cover the cost to that other organism.
"Lice, fleas, ticks and mites are widely spread parasites."
4
A climbing plant which is supported by a wall, trellis etc.

🔄 Synonyms of "Parasite"

3 synonyms found via WordNet and Google Books.

Word	Definition
minionnoun	A loyal servant of another, usually a more powerful being.
spongenoun	(countable) Any of various marine invertebrates of the phylum Porifera, that have a porous skeleton often of silica.
leechnoun	An aquatic blood-sucking annelid of subclass Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis.

↔️ Antonyms of "Parasite"

Words with the opposite meaning.

Word	Definition
hostnoun	One which receives or entertains a guest, socially, commercially, or officially.

💡 Words with a Similar Meaning to "Parasite"

Found via reverse dictionary — words that share a conceptual meaning.

Word	Definition
minionnoun	A loyal servant of another, usually a more powerful being.
leechnoun	An aquatic blood-sucking annelid of subclass Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis.
spongenoun	(countable) Any of various marine invertebrates of the phylum Porifera, that have a porous skeleton often of silica.
deadbeatnoun	(derogatory) A lazy or irresponsible person who is often unemployed, often depending upon wealthy or otherwise financially independent people for support.
interferencenoun	The act of interfering with something, or something that interferes.
straynoun	Any domestic animal that lacks an enclosure, proper place, or company, but that instead wanders at large or is lost; an estray.
spurious	False, not authentic, not genuine.
clutternoun	(uncountable) A confused disordered jumble of things.
extraneous	Not essential or intrinsic.
socialnoun	A festive gathering to foster introductions.
noisenoun	(uncountable) Various sounds, usually unwanted or unpleasant.
staticnoun	(uncountable) Interference on a broadcast signal caused by atmospheric disturbances; heard as crackles on radio, or seen as random specks on television.
spongernoun	A parasitic hanger-on.
infectionnoun	An uncontrolled growth of harmful microorganisms in a host.
pennynoun	In the United Kingdom, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a pound sterling, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: p.
coevolutionnoun	(ecology, evolutionary theory) The evolution of organisms of two or more species in which each adapts to changes in the other.
pestnoun	Any destructive insect that attacks crops or livestock; an agricultural pest.
parasitismnoun	(ecology, biology) Interaction between two organisms, in which one organism (the parasite) benefits and the other (the host) is harmed.
fungusnoun	(mycology) Any member of the kingdom Fungi; a eukaryotic organism typically having chitin cell walls but no chlorophyll or plastids. Fungi may be unicellular or multicellular.
verminnoun	Any of various common types of small insects or other animals which cause harm and annoyance.