laxative
Americannoun
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laxatives
plural
adjective
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of, relating to, or constituting a laxative; purgative.
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Archaic.
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(of the bowels) subject to looseness.
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(of a disease) characterized by looseness of the bowels.
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noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of laxative
1350–1400; Middle English laxatif (< Middle French ) < Medieval Latin laxātīvus loosening ( see laxation, -ive)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The crucial mineral is magnesium, which has a laxative effect.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2025
He quickly noticed the laxative effect for which Epsom salts would become world-famous, drawing hordes of stopped-up tourists to the town for decades to come.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
One who found that the laxative alone dried the skin too much mixed it with coconut oil.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2023
It’s an osmotic laxative: it works by attracting water molecules to the colon, causing more-watery stool to form.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 1, 2023
All those except Yossarian reporting on sick call with temperatures below 102 had their gums and toes painted with gendan violet solution and were given a laxative to throw away into the bushes.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Overall, the findings indicate that certain laxatives may help slow the progression of kidney deterioration.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 3, 2025
"I underwent intestinal surgeries in 2024, which required me to consume laxatives beforehand," one Weibo user wrote.
From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2025
I’m using stool softeners and laxatives as well as walking and drinking water.
From Seattle Times ● May 29, 2024
When taken at levels beyond their recommended amounts, osmotic laxatives can also affect the balance of electrolytes—they strip the body of the essentials it needs to function.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 1, 2023
It took no great leap of intelligence to realize that Hamilton Knapp had laced Gingers dog treats with tranquilizers and laxatives so that she would do one, possibly two, embarrassing things on stage.
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
