pharmaceutical
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 12–November 18, 2022
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 11–May 17, 2025
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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
Merck advanced 5.3% following promising trial results for an experimental cancer drug combination as the pharmaceutical giant races to defend its oncology franchise ahead of a key patent expiration.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
In a financialized pharmaceutical industry, the ultimate marker of success and failure rests not with the lives improved or saved.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
The biotechnology companies, semiconductor makers, pharmaceutical innovators and defense contractors that drive private-sector growth build products predicated on publicly funded scientific discoveries.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
Moore’s cells produced rare proteins that pharmaceutical companies could use to treat infections and cancer.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
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.
