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.
"For patients living with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, this research opens a genuinely new therapeutic angle one that connects the food on their plate to the inflammation in their gut," said Dr. Sheikh.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
“The goal is to have a balanced pipeline according to the stages in the clinical development, but also in terms of the therapeutic areas.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Growing Well Garden is part of a green social prescribing project, where gardening is used as a therapeutic tool and helps a doctor connect with her patients in a different way.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
"Additionally, our study suggests potential therapeutic opportunities to expedite this process, such as repurposing drugs like SGLT2 inhibitors, which have shown promise in reducing inflammation and promoting immune-mediated clearance of senescent cells in obesity."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
The open air of the city felt positively therapeutic after all that inhaled air-conditioning.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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.
