placebo

noun

pla·​ce·​bo plə-ˈsē-(ˌ)bō How to pronounce placebo (audio)
plural placebos
1
a
: a usually pharmacologically inert preparation prescribed more for the mental relief of the patient than for its actual effect on a disorder
b
: an inert or innocuous substance used especially in controlled experiments testing the efficacy of another substance (such as a drug)
2
: something tending to soothe

Did you know?

Doctors doing research on new treatments for disease often give one group a placebo while a second group takes the new medication. Since those in the placebo group usually believe they're getting the real thing, their own hopeful attitude may bring about improvement in their condition. Thus, for the real drug to be considered effective, it must produce even better results than the placebo. Placebos have another use as well. A doctor who suspects that a patient's physical symptoms are psychologically produced may prescribe a placebo in the hope that mentally produced symptoms can also be mentally cured.

Examples of placebo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web New results from a large phase 3 clinical trial, called Phoenix, showed that the drug did not outperform a placebo in improving participants’ ALS functional scale, a measure of their ability to breathe, swallow and speak after 48 weeks. Mira Cheng, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 The other group received a placebo drug and the conventional chemotherapy. Victoria Forster, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 The occurrence of serious adverse events was rare and evenly distributed across the placebo and treatment groups, indicating no significant safety concerns directly attributable to the supplement. Alex Zhavoronkov, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Each was randomly assigned to a group that got an omalizumab injection or a placebo every two to four weeks for 16 to 20 weeks. Amanda Musa, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024 That compares to only 7% of people who had been given a placebo powder. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 Pfizer, the company that makes Centrum Silver, provided the multivitamins and the placebo pills used in the study. Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News, 18 Jan. 2024 Among patients already on buprenorphine, a medication approved by the FDA to treat opioid use disorder, those on liraglutide as well were more likely to report zero cravings than the placebo group. Simar Bajaj, STAT, 17 Feb. 2024 Around 74% of adults in the trial taking the drug were free of MASH after 52 weeks, compared to approximately 13% of the placebo group. Allison Deangelis, STAT, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'placebo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, I shall please

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of placebo was in 1785

Dictionary Entries Near placebo

Cite this Entry

“Placebo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placebo. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

placebo

noun
pla·​ce·​bo plə-ˈsē-bō How to pronounce placebo (audio)
plural placebos
: a medicine that usually has no effect on a disease and is prescribed by a doctor for the mental relief it offers a patient
Etymology

from Latin placebo "I shall please"

Medical Definition

placebo

noun
pla·​ce·​bo plə-ˈsē-(ˌ)bō How to pronounce placebo (audio)
plural placebos
1
: a usually pharmacologically inert preparation prescribed more for the mental relief of the patient than for its actual effect on a disorder
2
: an inert or innocuous substance used especially in controlled experiments testing the efficacy of another substance (as a drug)

More from Merriam-Webster on placebo

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