Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Having or exhibiting healing powers.
  • adjective Of or relating to the medical treatment of a disease or condition.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Curative; pertaining to the healing art; concerned in discovering and applying remedies for diseases. Also therapeutical.
  • noun One of the Therapeutæ.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One of the Therapeutæ.
  • adjective (Med.) Of or pertaining to the healing art; concerned in discovering and applying remedies for diseases; curative.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of, or relating to therapy.
  • adjective Having healing powers.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective tending to cure or restore to health
  • adjective relating to or involved in therapy
  • noun a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[New Latin therapeuticus, from Greek therapeutikos, from therapeutēs, one who administers, from therapeuein, to serve, administer treatment, from theraps, therap-, attendant; see therapy.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From New Latin therapeuticus ("curing, healing"), from Ancient Greek θεραπευτικός (therapeutikos, "attentive, helpful, obliging, curative"), from θεραπευτής (therapeutēs, "one who waits on another, an attendant"), from θεραπεύω (therapeuō, "I wait on, attend, serve, cure").

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Examples

Comments

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  • Sometime it gets used to describe things that should be (should have been), rather than things done specifically for their therapeutic value.

    June 29, 2008

  • I adopted this word for the love of my life Bryce Overton. At the time he was in therapy for the mental illness schizophrenia. This illness caused him to commit suicide one day before his birthday on October 3rd 2016. He left behind three daughters and many others who loved him. Had he received a more therapeutic treatment from the State of Texas he might still be alive today. The world was a better place with him in it. You are terribly missed Bryce and you will always remain in my heart.

    April 8, 2019