panacea
noun
a remedy for all disease or ills.
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panacea
1 American
[pan-uh-see-uh]
/ ˌpæn əˈsi ə /
Panacea
2
American
[pan-uh-see-uh]
/ ˌpæn əˈsi ə /
noun
panacea
British
/ ˌpænəˈsɪə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing panacea
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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For National Pancake Day, Words With the Greek Roots "Pan-"
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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.
See Examples For:
When sliced, each irregular disk holds triterpenoids and p-couramic acid — panacea to reduce inflammation, with potential anti-cancer properties.
From Salon ● May 9, 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
The layoffs also lend credence to a growing public perception that AI isn’t a panacea but a job killer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
He slammed growing unilateralism and protectionism, which he said was "no panacea for resolving problems".
From Barron's ● Mar. 22, 2026
But there is frighteningly little evidence that his strategy was the crime panacea that he and the media deemed it.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Those in Bedford lived mostly in houses in and around Albany Road, with several still owned by the Panacea Charitable Trust today.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 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
Obesity researchers Peter Janiszewski and Travis Saunders, in Obesity Panacea, focus on the latest weight-loss gimmicks, plumbing questions such as whether Instagram fitness gurus inspire people to become more active.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 23, 2018
Mr. Bearden had not planned to stay in Panacea when he visited his aunt in 2014.
From New York Times ● Oct. 11, 2018
To illustrate the value of this blessing, he referred to the imaginary Elixir of Life, the Philosopher's Stone, and the Universal Panacea.
From American Scenes, and Christian Slavery A Recent Tour of Four Thousand Miles in the United States by Davies, Ebenezer
Some parents of children with autism, desperate for a remedy, have long reached for dubious and at times dangerous panaceas, including hyperbaric oxygen chambers and chelation therapy, used for the treatment of heavy metal poisoning.
From Salon ● Dec. 15, 2025
Spoiler: psychiatry and psychology are not the panaceas you might think.
From Slate ● Nov. 28, 2023
They are not panaceas, but they can help to set the tenor of debate.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 1, 2023
There are no panaceas, but we can and must do better for our communities and those suffering from behavioral health issues.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 17, 2023
It was this individualistic religion that made T. D., democrat as he nevertheless was, so hostile to all socialisms and administrative panaceas.
From Memories and Studies by James, Henry
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.
