1. Substances that inhibit or interfere with normal metabolic processes, especially drugs that mimic essential metabolites and block their function in cells; used in cancer treatment and to combat infections.
Usage: medical/pharmaceutical term; plural form; singular is antimetabolite; commonly used in oncology and microbiology

Examples

• Antimetabolites are a class of chemotherapy drugs that disrupt cancer cell growth.
• The doctor prescribed antimetabolites to treat the patient's leukemia.
• Methotrexate is one of the most widely used antimetabolites in cancer therapy.
• Antimetabolites work by mimicking natural molecules that cells need to survive.
• Researchers are developing new antimetabolites with fewer side effects.
• Some antimetabolites are also used as antibiotics to fight bacterial infections.