ointment
Americannoun
-
ointments
plural
noun
-
a fatty or oily medicated formulation applied to the skin to heal or protect
-
a similar substance used as a cosmetic
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ointment
1250–1300; obsolete oint (aphetic variant of anoint ) + -ment; replacing Middle English oignement < Old French < Vulgar Latin *unguimentum for Latin unguentum; see unguent
Explanation
Ointment is an oily kind of cream that you use to soothe or heal your skin. You might want to apply a bit of ointment to that festering flesh wound on your forehead. Just saying. Ointment is viscous — in other words, it's somewhere between a solid and a liquid, with a slippery, oily texture. Some medications come in ointment form, while other ointments might be lip balm, a moisturizer for dry skin, or even a cosmetic. The Old French oignement came from the Latin unguentum, from the stem unguere, "to anoint or salve."
Vocabulary lists containing ointment
"Be Prepared" by Vera Brosgol
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Pharmacy Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
But even here there is a fly in the ointment, since consumer staples is a defensive sector that tends to produce its best relative performance when the market is about to decline.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
The rare items, which have been loaned by the Royal Navy Museum, include a bowl and dinner plate, a boot and belt buckle and an ointment pot.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
Some families are also rejecting the eye ointment.
From Salon ● May 7, 2026
The human-headed fly in the ointment is the island itself, which is a supernatural smorgasbord, mostly quiet but waking up just in time to meet the visitors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
Adams and the other nurses had to remove their dressings and put fresh antibiotic ointment over the burned area every twenty-four hours.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
Little wonder, then, that many patients preferred the services of women healers, or would take a risk on “quacks”—traveling salesmen selling ointments from town to town—rather than risk a visit to a hospital.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
Based on their findings, the researchers advise clinicians to avoid using petrolatum-based eye ointments in patients with MicroShunt implants, especially when the device is exposed outside the conjunctiva.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 16, 2026
"It's the season for skin infections and we don't have creams or ointments for bacterial infections, no medicines to treat scabies and head lice."
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2025
“Creams and ointments are always better than lotions, things out of jars are always better than things out of a pump bottle.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2025
The room was dim, save for a desk lamp on a table filled with gauze and ointments and other medical supplies.
From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat
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.
