immune

immune — adjective

1. having protection inside your body against a specific illness, so that germs or

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

having protection inside your body against a specific illness, so that germs or viruses cannot successfully attack you and make you sick

Example

After having chickenpox as a child, 小明 became immune to the disease permanently.

be immune to + specific disease

小美 received a vaccine that made her immune to the flu last winter.

vaccine + make + person + immune to

Common collocations
  • immune system
  • immune response
  • be immune to a disease
  • become immune to
  • naturally immune
  • partially immune
Synonyms
  • resistant

    broader term — includes non-biological resistance (e.g. resistant to change)

  • protected

    focuses on the external action that gives safety, not the body's internal defence

  • invulnerable

    stronger and more formal; suggests complete and permanent immunity

Antonyms
  • susceptible

    the direct opposite — lacking protection and likely to catch the disease

  • vulnerable

    weaker protection or no defence at all

Grammar Patterns

be immune to [disease]

become immune to [disease]

make + object + immune to [disease]

Usage Note

Common in medical and health discussions. The related noun 'immunity' appears in phrases such as 'build up immunity' and 'herd immunity.' This sense is almost always followed by 'to' rather than 'from.'

Common Mistakes

I am immune to get the flu again.
I am immune to the flu.
'immune' is an adjective, so it cannot be followed directly by a verb; use a noun phrase instead.
After the vaccine, I immune to the disease.
After the vaccine, I am immune to the disease.
'immune' is an adjective and requires a form of 'be' to function as the predicate.

2. not disturbed or influenced by something that would normally upset or affect mos

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

not disturbed or influenced by something that would normally upset or affect most people — such as criticism, insults, pressure, or emotional appeals

Example

After years of public speaking, 阿傑 became immune to the audience's critical comments.

become immune to + criticism

小華 seemed immune to the sadness that affected everyone else after the news.

Common collocations
  • immune to criticism
  • immune to pressure
  • immune to flattery
  • immune to insults
  • seem immune to
  • become immune to
Synonyms
  • unaffected

    neutral and factual; less figurative than 'immune'

  • impervious

    more formal and emphatic; suggests total impenetrability

  • hardened

    implies that repeated experience made the person numb (often negative)

Antonyms
  • sensitive

    easily affected or upset by the same type of behaviour or emotion

  • vulnerable

    open to emotional harm or influence

Grammar Patterns

be immune to [behaviour/emotion]

become immune to [behaviour/emotion]

seem immune to [behaviour/emotion]

Usage Note

Often describes someone who has become desensitised through repeated exposure. Frequently used with 'to' followed by abstract nouns such as criticism, pressure, flattery, insults, or emotional appeals.

Common Mistakes

She is immune for criticism.
She is immune to criticism.
The correct preposition for this sense is 'to', not 'for.'
He seems immune from the pressure at work.
He seems immune to the pressure at work.
Use 'immune to' for emotional/behavioural resistance; 'immune from' belongs to the legal/exemption sense.

3. specially protected so that the usual rules, punishments, legal actions, or nega

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

specially protected so that the usual rules, punishments, legal actions, or negative consequences that apply to other people do not apply to you

Example

Diplomats are immune from prosecution in the country where they serve.

be immune from + prosecution (legal exemption)

大明 believed his wealth made him immune to the strict rules of the school.

Common collocations
  • immune from prosecution
  • immune from punishment
  • immune from liability
  • immune from legal action
  • immune from consequences
  • diplomatic immunity
Synonyms
  • exempt

    the closest synonym — specifically means excused from a rule or obligation

  • protected

    broader; can include physical safety, not just legal exemption

  • immune from

    the full phrasal form used in legal writing to distinguish it from sense 1

Antonyms
  • subject to

    opposite — must obey the rules or face the consequences

  • liable

    legally responsible and therefore not exempt from punishment

Grammar Patterns

be immune from [punishment]

be immune from [prosecution]

be immune from [consequences]

Usage Note

Typically used in legal, political, or institutional contexts. The preposition 'from' is preferred for this sense, though informal usage sometimes uses 'to.' Frequently appears in constructions such as 'immune from prosecution' and 'immune from liability.'

Common Mistakes

Witnesses were given immunity to prosecution.
Witnesses were given immunity from prosecution.
The noun 'immunity' follows the same preposition pattern as the adjective: 'from' for legal exemption.
The company was immune to being sued.
The company was immune from lawsuits.
Use a noun phrase rather than a gerund after the preposition, and prefer 'from' for this sense.

Word family

  • immunity
    nounB2
  • immunize
    verbB2
  • immunization
    nounB2
  • immunodeficiency
    nounC1
  • autoimmune
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe being safe from harm, but they differ in scope and register. 'Immune' (B2) is the specific medical term for bodily defence against disease — it implies an internal biological mechanism ('She is immune to measles'). 'Resistant' (B2) is broader: it can describe biological defence ('resistant bacteria') or a person's refusal to be influenced ('resistant to change'). 'Protected' (B1) is the most general and passive — it focuses on an external force providing safety, not an internal ability ('The children were protected by the vaccine'). 'Invulnerable' (C1) is the strongest and most literary; it suggests total, permanent invincibility, which is rarely true in real medical or emotional contexts ('No one is invulnerable to heart disease'). Use 'immune' for biological facts, 'resistant' for partial or non-biological defence, 'protected' when an outside agent does the work, and 'invulnerable' only for dramatic or hypothetical statements.

immune ↗resistant ↗protectedinvulnerable

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be immune
  • become immune
  • remain immune
  • make immune
  • render immune
  • considered immune

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'immune' comes from the Latin adjective 'immunis', which means 'exempt from public service or taxation.' It was formed by combining the negative prefix 'in-' (not) with 'munus' (service, duty, gift). In ancient Rome, a citizen who was 'immunis' did not have to pay taxes or perform military service. The medical meaning — 'protected from disease' — developed in the late 1800s as scientists began to understand how the body resists infection. The emotional and metaphorical senses (not affected by criticism, exempt from consequences) expanded from the legal meaning during the 20th century.