nocebo
Americannoun
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an inactive substance or a real medication that produces unpleasant or worsening symptoms in a patient or research participant because the person expects negative effects.
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a negative symptom experienced by a person with such expectations.
Etymology
Origin of nocebo
1960–65; Latin nocēbō “I shall be harmful”; patterned after placebo
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.
That pain is often referred to as the nocebo effect.
From Slate • Jan. 30, 2026
Conversely, those who received the placebo may have experienced a nocebo effect, which means worsening symptoms because they were aware they did not get active treatment.
From Salon • Aug. 6, 2024
The nocebo effect is often considered the mirror image of the placebo effect.
From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2024
“A nocebo effect could explain what is going on in this incident,” Dr. Ryan Marino, medical director of toxicology at University Hospitals in Cleveland, told the newspaper earlier this week.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 13, 2021
Gibson has long been skeptical of studies implicating gluten in such symptoms, arguing that those findings are hopelessly clouded by the nocebo effect, in which the mere expectation of swallowing the dreaded ingredient worsens symptoms.
From Science Magazine • May 23, 2018
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.
