surgical

[sur-ji-kuhl]

adjective

1. pertaining to or involving surgery or surgeons.

2. used in surgery.

3. characterized by extreme precision or incisiveness.

   a surgical air strike against enemy targets.

surgical

/ ˈsɜːdʒɪkəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, involving, or used in surgery

2. (of an action) performed with extreme precision

   a surgical air attack on the missile complex

Other Word Forms

• surgically adverb
• nonsurgical adjective
• nonsurgically adverb
• postsurgical adjective
• presurgical adjective
• prosurgical adjective
• unsurgical adjective
• unsurgically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of surgical¹

First recorded in 1760–70; surg(eon) + -ical

Example Sentences

Last July, the 32-year-old had to travel to Asheville, North Carolina, to obtain a surgical abortion after doctors told her at 15 weeks that her baby had heart failure and was not going to survive.

From Salon

In it, he tells them Ms Booth will continue her surgical career.

From BBC

The High Court ruled Medpro failed to prove whether or not its surgical gowns, which were to be used by NHS workers, had undergone a validated sterilisation process.

From BBC

As well as surgical errors, she was found to have had poor insight into her own levels of competence, partly through being inexperienced, and that she had failed to seek help from more senior colleagues.

From BBC

She said it was "encouraging" to see that the surgical and wider healthcare community had been listened to, and that the guidance is being strengthened.

From BBC