noun · neutral
allergy
UK/ˈælədʒi/US/ˈælɚdʒi/ALL·er·gy
Band 4-5speakingtask2
a medical condition in which the body reacts badly to something
Examples
“He has a severe allergy to peanuts.”
“They run tests to check for allergies.”
“My friend's allergy to pollen gets worse in spring.”
Band 8 sentence
“I always check menus carefully because my allergy to shellfish is quite serious.”
Collocations
- allergic to
- have an allergy
- food allergy
Word family
allergic adjectiveallergist noun
Common mistakes
I'm allergic about cats.→I'm allergic to cats.
He has allergy towards seafood.→He has an allergy to seafood.
Say it for a higher band
5sensitivity→6intolerance→7+allergy
Synonyms
sensitivity
Easily confused
intolerance
“Lactose intolerance causes digestive problems, but it is not an allergy.”
Related words
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In Health & Fitness
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