Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The boastful pretensions or knavish practice of a quack, particularly in medicine; empiricism; charlatanry; humbug.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The acts, arts, or boastful pretensions of a quack; false pretensions to any art; empiricism.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun law, medicine, uncountable The practice of
fraudulent medicine, usually in order to make money or for ego gratification and power; health fraud. - noun countable An instance of practicing fraudulent medicine.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the dishonesty of a charlatan
- noun medical practice and advice based on observation and experience in ignorance of scientific findings
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word quackery.
Examples
-
Their definition of quackery is the application of treatments that have not been scientifically proven to have any effects, that are practiced by physicians as well as specialists without a MD and they organise congresses from time to time where they say things like this.
The Organisation against Quackery nathreee 2007
-
There are definitely problems in the medical system but this quackery is not the answer, it only creates more problems.
Devra Davis Responds to Your Cancer Questions - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com 2007
-
What some call quackery was just the right prescription for Doletzky, who says he's suspicious of traditional treatment and the U.S. health care system.
-
We are still, therefore, exposed to the humiliation of hearing that spiritualistic quackery is freely practised in England.
-
As for the low head hydro, Clive, well the word quackery springs to mind.
News round-up 2010
-
They might not work -- one Harvard doc calls them "quackery" -- because alcohol, not polyphenols, is probably the active ingredient for a healthy heart.
Periscope 2007
-
The world of “complimentary and alternative medicine” otherwise known as quackery is even worse: the waste is 100%.
Coyote Blog » Blog Archive » Fixing What Already Exists Before Adding More 2009
-
What some have called quackery was just the right prescription for Doletzky, who says he's suspicious of traditional treatments and the U.S. health care system.
-
I would not be the one to dispute, that perhaps in 1700 or 1800, or early 1900 the field was, what we would define as quackery and horrid treatments today.
Doctor Resigns From Hospital Because She Won’t Do Unneeded C-Sections 2005
-
One is called quackery while the other is view as a legitimate religion.
yarb commented on the word quackery
That gentle, civilized system of evacuation which prevailed under my auspices is subverted by the reign of anarchy and emetics, of quackery and poison.
- Lesage, The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane, tr. Smollett, bk 10 ch. 1
October 8, 2008