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self-medication

American  
[self-med-i-kay-shuhn] / ˈsɛlfˌmɛd ɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. the use of medicine without medical supervision to treat one's own ailment.


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:

Crisps, chocolate bars and ice cream are identified as the culprits of this tendency, which the study viewed as "representing an early form of self-medication".

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

This includes reducing infections through better water, sanitation and hygiene, improving vaccine uptake, strengthening hospital infection control policies, educating physicians and deterring self-medication by patients.

From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2024

Like all self-medication behavior in non-human animals, the case reported in this study raises questions about how intentional these behaviors are and how they emerge.

From Science Daily ● May 2, 2024

The demand for self-medication products and tips has led to questionable health-care advice — and some misinformation — proliferating online.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 16, 2022

The layman naturally adopted the theory and the motto of his medical advisers; hence in his self-medication and also under advice he consumes such vast quantities of purgative nostrums.

From Intestinal Ills Chronic Constipation, Indigestion, Autogenetic Poisons, Diarrhea, Piles, Etc. Also Auto-Infection, Auto-Intoxication, Anemia, Emaciation, Etc. Due to Proctitis and Colitis by Alcinous B. (Alcinous Burton) Jamison

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