surgical

[ sur-ji-kuhl ]

adjective

1. pertaining to or involving surgery or surgeons.
2. used in surgery.
3. characterized by extreme precision or incisiveness:

   a surgical air strike against enemy targets.

surgical

/ ˈsɜːdʒɪkəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, involving, or used in surgery
2. (of an action) performed with extreme precision

   a surgical air attack on the missile complex

Derived Forms

• ˈsurgically, adverb

Other Words From

• surgi·cal·ly adverb
• non·surgi·cal adjective
• non·surgi·cal·ly adverb
• post·surgi·cal adjective
• pre·surgi·cal adjective
• pro·surgi·cal adjective
• un·surgi·cal adjective
• un·surgi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of surgical¹

First recorded in 1760–70; surg(eon) + -ical

Example Sentences

So she logged in again and found an opening that afternoon at the local surgical hospital.

From MIT Technology Review

A new trend is to also double up on two effective multi-layer masks, such as wearing a surgical mask underneath a cloth mask or even a certified N95 mask underneath a cloth mask.

From Popular-Science

In Hong Kong, for instance, surgical masks and gloves litter hiking trails and wash up on beaches.

From Science News For Students

Without a medical-grade face covering, Marr said, people can get the best, simplest protection by wearing a cloth mask tightly on top of a surgical mask.

From Washington Post

A tightly woven cloth mask might get you to 60 or 70 percent, and a blue surgical mask can get you to 70 or 80 percent.

From Washington Post

Add in additional demand, as with a surgical procedure, and the body is pushed to its very limits.

From The Daily Beast

When the same abnormality was detected in a subsequent pregnancy at 18 weeks, she was able to have a surgical abortion.

From The Daily Beast

For some, 72 hours will mark the difference between having a medical vs. a surgical procedure.

From The Daily Beast

While some forms of DSD require careful medical attention, most cases do not require violent surgical intervention.

From The Daily Beast

Two years ago, however, Nancy became ill with a post-surgical infection that caused her immense pain.

From The Daily Beast

Strictures of the male urethra from chronic gonorrhoeal inflammation often require major surgical operations for relief.

From Project Gutenberg

A—surgical operation is, he says, the only—only thing that can possibly save her life, and—he hopes it will.

From Project Gutenberg

At his death, Benson became the possessor of his few books, his few surgical instruments and some curious preparations.

From Project Gutenberg

He also wrote on diseases of the urinary organs, and on local nervous affections of a surgical character.

From Project Gutenberg

It was up to me to find the boss as quickly as I could and have the three-cornered surgical operation over with.

From Project Gutenberg