restorative
Americanadjective
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serving to restore; pertaining to restoration.
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capable of renewing health or strength.
noun
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a restorative agent, means, or the like.
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a means of restoring a person to consciousness.
Smelling salts serve as a restorative.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of restorative
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English restoratif (adjective and noun), from Middle French restauratif, from Latin restaurāt(us) (past participle of restaurāre “to rebuild, repair”; see restore) + Middle French -if -ive
Explanation
Restorative things give you energy or make you feel better. Your dad might have a favorite restorative chicken soup he makes you whenever you have a cold. Antibiotics can be restorative to a patient with an infection, and a good night's sleep is almost always restorative, no matter how tired you are. If something brings you back to life or helps you recover, it's restorative. Sometimes people use this word as a noun, to mean "medicine for strength." Restorative has a Latin root, restaurare, "repair, rebuild, or renew."
Vocabulary lists containing restorative
Moon Over Manifest
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Excerpts from "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Acts 3–5
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
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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.
“Couture’s” three principals rarely interact with one another, but those meaningful exchanges argue that, amid the mad clatter of the everyday, a brief, unguarded moment with a stranger can be supremely restorative.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
In August 2025, Pam applied for restorative measures, and is still waiting to hear whether her application has been accepted.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
Similarly, Ms. Kenny is a fan of restorative justice.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
When travel is safe, restorative, and active, it may do more than create memories.
From Science Daily • May 4, 2026
“Given the severity of the harm to Sasha, we didn’t expect that the DA would allow the case to be diverted to restorative justice,” she said.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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.
