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• panacea
  panacea

  noun

  a remedy for all disease or ills.
• Panacea
  Panacea

  noun

  an ancient Greek goddess of healing.

panacea

¹ American  

[pan-uh-see-uh] / ˌpæn əˈsi ə /

noun

panaceas plural

1. a remedy for all disease or ills.

   Synonyms:

   cure-all, nostrum, elixir

2. an answer or solution for all problems or difficulties.

   His economic philosophy is a good one, but he tries to use it as a panacea.

   Synonyms:

   cure-all, nostrum, elixir

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Panacea ² American  

[pan-uh-see-uh] / ˌpæn əˈsi ə /

noun

1. an ancient Greek goddess of healing.

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panacea British  

/ ˌpænəˈsɪə /

noun

1. a remedy for all diseases or ills

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• panacean
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• panaceas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of panacea

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin, from Greek panákeia, equivalent to panake-, stem of panakḗs “all-healing” ( pan- “all” + akḗs “a cure”) + -ia noun suffix; pan-, -ia

Explanation

If someone offers you a pill that promises eternal life, don’t take the pill. It’s a panacea, a remedy that falsely claims to solve every problem ever. The Greek word pan means “all” (think of a panorama, a view where you can see everywhere). The Greek word for “cure” is akēs (which looks like the word “aches”). Those are the roots of panacea, a cure for all aches. But a panacea doesn’t really cure everything; it just acts like it can. Use the word to describe an unbelievable solution, like a new law that will make everyone rich, or a robot that does your homework for you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

panacea Panacea panaceas

FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, has repeatedly positioned the sport as a force for inclusion and social cohesion; soccer diplomacy is being elevated as the panacea for our current global disharmony.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

American schools have wrestled with learning loss for the better part of a decade and no one has found a panacea.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

But the trend is far short of a panacea.

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

"For now, creatine is best viewed as a supplement with significant potential, but not a panacea," Dr. Boroujerdi says.

From Science Daily ● May 4, 2026

He will talk quickly and eagerly about nothing at all, snatching at any subject as a panacea to pain.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

The Panacea Society finally ceased as an active religious movement in 2012, when Ms Klein died aged 72.

From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2019

Their home is Panacea, a 47-foot yacht-style boat.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 14, 2019

The Panacea Society began in 1918 after its leader, Octavia, was discovered by her first followers to be the Daughter of God.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 19, 2019

Mr. Bearden had not planned to stay in Panacea when he visited his aunt in 2014.

From New York Times ● Oct. 11, 2018

I feared that the Panacea and Cure-Everything trick had been played too often, but I determined to make one big try, and I think that at last my fortune is made.

From Doesticks, What He Says by Doesticks, Q. K. Philander

They are not panaceas, but they can help to set the tenor of debate.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 1, 2023

They aren't panaceas, however, and these drugs can come with side effects or just fail to work for some individuals.

From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2022

Digital platforms are not panaceas for food insecurity, notes Georgiana Nica-Avram at Nottingham University Business School.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2022

Even the brain-boosting techniques that seem to work are not panaceas.

From Slate ● Dec. 13, 2021

It likewise induces in us a profound distrust of social panaceas.

From The Library and Society Reprints of Papers and Addresses by Bostwick, Arthur Elmore

Related Words

• elixir