Anti-vax
Against vaccines
Example
My dad is still anti-vax and says he isn't afraid of covid like the rest of us
Anti-vax definition by Slang.net
This page explains what the slang term "Anti-vax" means. The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been written and compiled by the Slang.net team.
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When someone is anti-vax, they are against vaccinations or a specific vaccine, like the COVID-19 vaccine. While the anti-vax movement began in the 2000s, it did not gain worldwide recognition until 2021, when people staunchly opposed receiving the covid vaccine.
Where did anti-vax come from?
Vax is short for "vaccine" and comes from people's need to shorten the word when typing online or in texts. When the "anti-vaccine" movement grew in the 2000s, the anti-vax name was adopted to more conveniently refer to the stance.
People who are anti-vax are often referred to as "anti-vaxxers." Before the covid pandemic, many anti-vaxxers were Holywood celebrities (Jenny McCarthy), radical crunchy people, and religious zealots that did not want their kids to be vaccinated for various reasons.
However, during covid, most anti-vaxxers were people that rejected the covid vaccine because they believed it required more testing or that it is part of a vast government conspiracy to control citizens or kill them.
Due to the politicization of covid, the anti-vax sentiment has become associated with conservatives who don't trust the vaccine and are protecting their freedom to chose what is put into their body. Also, anti-vax has become a negative adjective partially because the people who have been vaccinated think that people who are anti-vax are selfish and preventing the country from getting back to "pre-covid normal."