therapeutic
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
-
of or relating to the treatment of disease; curative
-
serving or performed to maintain health
therapeutic abortion
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of therapeutic
1535–45; < New Latin therapeuticus < Greek therapeutikós, equivalent to therapeú ( ein ) to attend, treat medically (akin to therápōn attendant) + -tikos -tic
Explanation
Whether you’re talking about a therapeutic drug or a therapeutic exercise plan, something that is therapeutic helps to heal or to restore health. The adjective therapeutic can be traced all the way back to the Greek word therapeutikos (from therapeuein, meaning “to attend” or “to treat”). Although the word relates to healing or soothing, therapeutic isn’t reserved only for drugs or medical treatments. You’ve probably heard particular activities referred to as therapeutic, which just means that doing that activity makes you feel rejuvenated. You might consider shopping for shoes, for example, to be a therapeutic activity — at least until the credit card bill arrives.
Vocabulary lists containing therapeutic
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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.
Recent years have brought a surge of interest in the potential therapeutic benefits of other peptides.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
While Croatian researchers have found preliminary evidence that BPC-157 survives in the gut, there have been no studies on whether it has any therapeutic effect on other human systems when taken orally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
Perhaps the most significant implication of the research concerns a longstanding question in psychedelic medicine: Are hallucinations and altered states of consciousness necessary for the brain changes that might contribute to therapeutic benefits?
From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026
Chief Executive Robert Davis highlighted momentum across multiple therapeutic areas, which he said is bolstering his confidence in the company’s long-term opportunity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
You can bathe in our natural thermal mineral springs, which are known for their therapeutic value in the relief of common ailments such as arthritis, bursitis, rheumatism, and gout.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
