antibiotics

This term refers specifically to agents that target bacteria. It is frequently misused in casual conversation to describe any medication used to treat an infection, including antivirals for the flu or antifungals for yeast infections, but in a medical context, it is strictly limited to antibacterial agents.

While the word is often used in the plural to describe a general class of drugs or a specific regimen, it can be used in the singular when referring to a specific type of drug or the chemical substance itself.