healing

American  

[hee-ling] / ˈhi lɪŋ /

adjective

1. curing or curative; prescribed or helping to heal.

2. growing sound; getting well; mending.

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noun

1. the act or process of regaining health.

   a new drug to accelerate healing.

Other Word Forms

• healingly adverb
• self-healing adjective
• unhealing adjective

Etymology

Origin of healing

First recorded before 1000; Middle English heelyng (adjective), helynge (noun); Old English hǣlinge (noun); equivalent to heal + -ing ² for the adjective, heal + -ing ¹ for the noun

Example Sentences

The team also plans to examine how different elements of the retreat, including meditation, reconceptualization, and open-label placebo healing, contribute individually and together.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

Long-term benefits, we are told, include reduced anxiety, lower blood pressure and quicker healing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

I asked him what kind of healing might be possible, spiritual or otherwise, under these conditions.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

"I'm doing this to pray for the healing of my seven-month-old baby, who is suffering from pneumonia," John David, clutching a whip in one hand, told AFP at the beginning of the procession.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

It seemed the news of my father’s miraculous healing was spreading, earning them more and more customers.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover