pharmacodynamics

American

[fahr-muh-koh-dahy-nam-iks] / ˌfɑr mə koʊ daɪˈnæm ɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

the branch of pharmacology dealing with the course of action, effect, and breakdown of drugs within the body.

pharmacodynamics British

/ ˌfɑːməkəʊdaɪˈnæmɪks /

noun

(functioning as singular) the branch of pharmacology concerned with the action of drugs on the physiology or pathology of the body

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

pharmacodynamic adjective
pharmacodynamical adjective

Etymology

Origin of pharmacodynamics

First recorded in 1835–45; pharmaco- + dynamics

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.

Many of the actionable pharmacogenes that have been identified to date exert a strong effect on the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of their associated drug, which make them easy to identify.

From Nature • Oct. 13, 2015

Structures of more GPCRs will facilitate structure-based in silico drug discovery and the development of therapeutic compounds with improved specificity and pharmacodynamics.

From Nature • Feb. 13, 2013

So a synthetic chemical with optimized pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics that will let you sail through the SATs or the MCATs will not be under evaluation by the FDA any time soon.

From Scientific American • Jun. 13, 2012

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023