pharmaceutical

1 of 2

adjective

phar·​ma·​ceu·​ti·​cal ˌfär-mə-ˈsü-ti-kəl 

: of, relating to, or engaged in pharmacy or the manufacture and sale of pharmaceuticals

a pharmaceutical company

pharmaceutically

ˌfär-mə-ˈsü-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

pharmaceutical

2 of 2

noun

: a medicinal drug

Synonyms

Noun

• cure
• drug
• medicament
• medication
• medicinal
• medicine
• physic
• remedy
• specific

Examples of pharmaceutical in a Sentence

Adjective

lobbyists from the pharmaceutical industry

Noun

some pharmaceuticals can be quite risky unless taken correctly

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Two investment and analysis companies (No. 3 KKR and No. 4 S&P Global) share space with a pharmaceutical company making significant strides in deadly diseases (No. 6 Vertex Pharmaceuticals), a maker of medical devices (No. 9 Boston Scientific) and a builder of homes (No. 12 Taylor Morrison). —Heather Newman, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024

Prior to entering politics, Salinas earned a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Kentucky, according to her Linkedin, and has been a researcher at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital as well as at her alma mater. —James Factora, Them, 6 Nov. 2024

Noun

Investing in shoring up reliable domestic pharmaceutical supply chains is also a key component of fixing the problem, which Center on Health Policy senior fellow Marta Wosińska said is a price that would be worth it to pay. —Tina Reed, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024

For Payton, cannabis offers not only an alternative to pharmaceuticals but a pathway to reclaim health naturally and sustainably. —Javier Hasse, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Late Latin pharmaceuticus, from Greek pharmakeutikos, from pharmakeuein to administer drugs — more at pharmacy

First Known Use

Adjective

1636, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1829, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

pharmaceutical

1 of 2 adjective

phar·​ma·​ceu·​ti·​cal ˌfär-mə-ˈsüt-i-kəl 

: of, relating to, or involved in pharmacy or the manufacture and sale of medicinal drugs

a pharmaceutical company

pharmaceutically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

pharmaceutical

2 of 2 noun

: a drug or preparation used in medicine

Medical Definition

pharmaceutical

1 of 2 adjective

phar·​ma·​ceu·​ti·​cal ˌfär-mə-ˈsüt-i-kəl 

variants also pharmaceutic

-ˈsüt-ik 

: of, relating to, or engaged in pharmacy or the manufacture and sale of pharmaceuticals

a pharmaceutical company

pharmaceutically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

pharmaceutical

2 of 2 noun

variants also pharmaceutic

: a medicinal drug