anti-inflammatory
Americanadjective
noun
-
anti-inflammatories
plural
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of anti-inflammatory
First recorded in 1955–60
Explanation
An anti-inflammatory is an anti-inflammatory drug: a type of medicine that treats swelling and redness. Inflammation originally meant to be consumed by flames, and these days it usually means a type of soreness somewhere on your body that is red, feels hot, and and swells up. The anti prefix tells you that this word goes against the root, and anti-inflammatories are drugs that treat or fight against inflammation. If you have a red, swollen ankle, an anti-inflammatory might help.
Vocabulary lists containing anti-inflammatory
Power Prefix: Anti
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: ant-, anti-
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: ant, anti
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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.
See Examples For:
For every trending supplement, there is an unprocessed, wholefood alternative – from the anti-inflammatory benefits of turmeric, staving off cramp with pickle juice or consumption of high-nitrate foods like beetroot before competition.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
This bacterium produces propionic acid, a compound associated with anti-inflammatory properties, reduced cholesterol synthesis, and appetite regulation.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
“Lemon verbena is one of the best anti-inflammatory herbs — a lot of times when people are overheated, they tend to feel inflamed,” Krylova says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory signals increased at the same time, suggesting that the immune system was undergoing a more complicated adaptive response rather than simply becoming more or less active.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
Politely he asks if there is a way that he can pay for his care, as well as the antibiotics and the anti-inflammatory drugs.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Steel, in the U.K., said he’s coming to this year’s race stocked with anti-inflammatories, ibuprofen and sunscreen to stay safe on the course.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
He needed the pills, although it was unclear whether he was referring to painkillers, anti-inflammatories or both.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2025
It’s also resistant to most treatments, such as anti-inflammatories.
From National Geographic ● Dec. 1, 2023
Piroxicam is in the same class of anti-inflammatories as ibuprofen and paracetamol.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 16, 2023
How she’s been popping anti-inflammatories and rolling her foot on a bottle of water to ease the agony in her arch.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
