pharmaceutical
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pharmaceutical
First recorded in 1640–50; pharmaceutic(s) + -al 1
Explanation
A pharmaceutical is any kind of drug used for medicinal purposes, like cough syrup or sleeping pills. You may have heard of a pharmacy, which is a place where you can buy medicinal drugs, or a pharmacist, which is a person who prepares those drugs. In general, a pharmaceutical is anything related to pharmacies or pharmacists, though it especially refers to the kinds of medicines that they sell. Pharmaceuticals are often contrasted with what are called recreational drugs, which are the illegal kind that are generally used for entertainment purposes rather than to help heal the body.
Vocabulary lists containing pharmaceutical
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Pharmacy Words
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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.
Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical company Moderna has announced it is using its mRNA technology – which was deployed to rapidly develop vaccines in the Covid pandemic – to work on Bundibugyo.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
The “Achilles’ heel” includes advanced chips, some active pharmaceutical ingredients needed for antibiotics, and high-capacity batteries critical for transportation and defense systems.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
The analysts estimate the Chinese pharmaceutical company could unlock $7.6 billion in value from three of its assets.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
As a result of intense lobbying by the branded pharmaceutical industry, patent-term extensions were born in the U.S. in the early 1980s under what is now more commonly known as the Hatch-Waxman Act.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
Every evening I saw my father make a dutiful visit to her perpetual sickroom with its hot-water bottles and pharmaceutical supplies.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
