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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

My view: Behavioral economics is no panacea, but it can be an extremely useful tool for individuals and for systems as well.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

We took a lot of long walks to help deal with the stress of the not knowing, but the magic panacea for me came the day Steve’s Harley-Davidson arrived in one of the crates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 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

Southcott's box was kept in The Bishops' House, on Newnham Road, which is now the home to the Panacea Museum.

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

The manager of the R.V. park, though, said this month that Mr. Bearden is still there, still in Panacea, and like the rest of the Panhandle, still holding on.

From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2018

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

Harry rapidly penned this paragraph, and read it aloud:— "Dr. Theophilus Peabody has left with us a box of his Unfailing Panacea, which he claims will cure a large variety of diseases."

From Risen from the Ranks Harry Walton's Success by Alger, Horatio

Spoiler: psychiatry and psychology are not the panaceas you might think.

From Slate ● Nov. 28, 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

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

They proceed steadily from studies of human character and destiny, the proper business of the novelist, to mere outpourings of social and economic panaceas, the proper business of leader writers, chautauquas rabble-rousers and hedge politicians.

From A Book of Prefaces by Mencken, H. L. (Henry Louis)

Related Words

• elixir