serum
6 synonyms for serum, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A thin, lightweight skincare product, usually applied after cleansing and before a heavier cream, formulated to carry a high proportion of active ingredients in a small amount of liquid.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
A thin, lightweight skincare product, usually applied after cleansing and before a heavier cream, formulated to carry a high proportion of active ingredients in a small amount of liquid.
“She kept the serum on the shelf above the sink and used it before her moisturiser.”
2. noun technical
In medicine, the clear pale fluid that separates from blood when it clots, containing no cells and no clotting proteins. It is the part of a blood sample many laboratory tests are run on.
“The lab measured cholesterol in the patient's serum.”
3. noun technical
A preparation made from the blood of a person or animal that carries antibodies, given to provide immediate protection against a poison or infection.
“Antivenom serum was flown to the hospital overnight.”
How to use serum
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
The skincare sense is everyday; the blood senses are technical and belong to medicine and laboratory science. The plural is serums or, in scientific writing, sera.
Etymology
From Latin serum, meaning whey or watery fluid.
Full origin of serum →