restorative
Americanadjective
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serving to restore; pertaining to restoration.
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capable of renewing health or strength.
noun
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a restorative agent, means, or the like.
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a means of restoring a person to consciousness.
Smelling salts serve as a restorative.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of restorative
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English restoratif (adjective and noun), from Middle French restauratif, from Latin restaurāt(us) (past participle of restaurāre “to rebuild, repair”; see restore) + Middle French -if -ive
Explanation
Restorative things give you energy or make you feel better. Your dad might have a favorite restorative chicken soup he makes you whenever you have a cold. Antibiotics can be restorative to a patient with an infection, and a good night's sleep is almost always restorative, no matter how tired you are. If something brings you back to life or helps you recover, it's restorative. Sometimes people use this word as a noun, to mean "medicine for strength." Restorative has a Latin root, restaurare, "repair, rebuild, or renew."
Vocabulary lists containing restorative
Moon Over Manifest
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Excerpts from "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Acts 3–5
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
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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.
Restorative justice is a process that allows victims to speak to perpetrators about the impact of a crime, while giving perpetrators the chance to take accountability, offer an explanation and address the harm they caused.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
Restorative justice: Inside the education course for soccer’s banned fans.
From New York Times • May 2, 2024
Sara C. Mednick, a cognitive neuroscientist and author of "The Power of the Downstate: Recharge Your Life Using Your Body's Own Restorative Systems" reassures me that's all right.
From Salon • Jan. 2, 2024
She recalls the day in 2015 she was asked to start Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative Northwest as “one of the most joyful days of my life.”
From Seattle Times • Oct. 10, 2023
“I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep —” “Excuse me,” said Snape icily.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
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.
