Standard Lemma guide

therapeutic

adj · noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • thĕr'ə-pyo͞oʹtĭk
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌθɛɹ.əˈpjuː.tɪk/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˌθɛɹ.əˈpju.tɪk/
  • Canada, General-American: [ˌθɛɹ.əˈpju.ɾɪk]
  • Midwestern-US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ˌθeɹ.əˈpjʉː.tɪk/
  • Australian: [ˌθeɹ.əˈpjʉː.ɾɪk]
  • New-Zealand: /ˌθeɹ.əˈpjʉː.tək/
  • New-Zealand: [ˌθeɹ.əˈpjʉː.ɾək]
  • CMU ARPABET: TH EH2 R AH0 P Y UW1 T IH0 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, or relating to therapy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Having a positive effect on the body or mind.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A therapeutic agent

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

relating to or involved in therapy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • therapeutic approach to criminality

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: therapeutical

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

tending to cure or restore to health

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • curative powers of herbal remedies
  • her gentle healing hand
  • remedial surgery
  • a sanative environment of mountains and fresh air
  • a therapeutic agent
  • therapeutic diets

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: curative, healing(p), alterative, remedial, sanative

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: remedy, curative, cure

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: medicine, medication, medicament, medicinal drug

Narrower terms: acoustic, antidote, counterpoison, emetic, vomit, vomitive, nauseant, lenitive, lotion, application, magic bullet, ointment, unction, unguent, balm, salve, palliative, alleviant, alleviator, panacea, nostrum, catholicon, cure-all, preventive, preventative, prophylactic

History

Etymology

From Middle English terapeucia, from New Latin therapeuticus (“curing, healing”), from Ancient Greek θεραπευτικός (therapeutikós, “attentive, helpful, obliging, curative”), from θεραπευτής (therapeutḗs, “one who waits on another, an attendant”), from θεραπεύω (therapeúō, “I wait on, attend, serve, cure”).

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: բուժական (bužakan) — of, or relating to therapy
  • Armenian: թերապեւտիկ (tʻerapewtik) — of, or relating to therapy
  • Bulgarian: терапевти́чен (terapevtíčen) — of, or relating to therapy
  • Bulgarian: лечебен (lečeben) — of, or relating to therapy
  • Catalan: terapèutic — of, or relating to therapy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 治療的 /治疗的 (zhìliáo de) — of, or relating to therapy
  • Czech: léčebný — of, or relating to therapy
  • Czech: terapeutický — of, or relating to therapy
  • Dutch: therapeutisch — of, or relating to therapy
  • Finnish: terapeuttinen — of, or relating to therapy
  • French: thérapeutique — of, or relating to therapy
  • Friulian: terapeutic — of, or relating to therapy
  • Galician: terapéutico — of, or relating to therapy
  • German: therapeutisch — of, or relating to therapy
  • Hungarian: terápiás — of, or relating to therapy
  • Hungarian: gyógyászati — of, or relating to therapy
  • Indonesian: terapeutik — of, or relating to therapy
  • Italian: terapeutico — of, or relating to therapy
  • Japanese: 治療の (chiryō no) — of, or relating to therapy
  • Kazakh: терапевтік (terapevtık) — of, or relating to therapy
  • Kazakh: терапиялық (terapiälyq) — of, or relating to therapy
  • Kazakh: емдік (emdık) — of, or relating to therapy
  • Korean: 치료상의 (chiryosang'ui) — of, or relating to therapy
  • Latvian: terapeitisks — of, or relating to therapy
  • Malay: terapeutik — of, or relating to therapy
  • Polish: terapeutyczny — of, or relating to therapy
  • Portuguese: terapêutico — of, or relating to therapy
  • Portuguese: terapêutica — of, or relating to therapy
  • Romanian: terapeutic — of, or relating to therapy
  • Russian: терапевти́ческий (terapevtíčeskij) — of, or relating to therapy
  • Russian: лече́бный (lečébnyj) — of, or relating to therapy
  • Spanish: terapéutico — of, or relating to therapy
  • Ukrainian: терапевти́чний (terapevtýčnyj) — of, or relating to therapy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 可以起到療法作用的 /可以起到疗法作用的 — having a positive effect on the body or mind
  • Chinese Mandarin: 可以起到疗法作用的 (kěyǐ qǐdào liáofǎ zuòyòng de) — having a positive effect on the body or mind
  • Chinese Mandarin: 有益健康的 (yǒuyì jiànkāng de) — having a positive effect on the body or mind
  • Finnish: terapeuttinen — having a positive effect on the body or mind
  • Ancient Greek: ἀκέσιμος (akésimos) — having a positive effect on the body or mind
  • Hungarian: terápiás — having a positive effect on the body or mind
  • Hungarian: gyógyító — having a positive effect on the body or mind
  • Hungarian: gyógyhatású — having a positive effect on the body or mind
  • Hungarian: gyógy- — having a positive effect on the body or mind
  • Māori: haumanu — having a positive effect on the body or mind
  • Polish: terapeutyczny — having a positive effect on the body or mind