surgical

adjective

sur·​gi·​cal ˈsər-ji-kəl How to pronounce surgical (audio)
1
a
: of or relating to surgeons or surgery
surgical skills
b
: used in or in connection with surgery
surgical gauze
c
: following or resulting from surgery
surgical fevers
2
: characteristic of or resembling surgery or a surgeon especially in control or incisiveness
surgical precision
surgically adverb

Examples of surgical in a Sentence

The work was done with surgical precision.
Recent Examples on the Web Within 30 days, Munn underwent a lymph node dissection, a nipple delay procedure (a surgical procedure which spares the nipples) and a double mastectomy, followed by reconstructive surgery last fall. Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2024 During the nonsurgical procedure, a provider places small surgical threads made of materials that can be absorbed by the body in a few months, including poly lactic-co-glycolic acid, polydioxanone, polyglycolic acid, and poly-L-lactic acid, under a patient’s skin. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 17 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for surgical 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surgical.' 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

surgeon + -ical

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of surgical was in 1707

Dictionary Entries Near surgical

Cite this Entry

“Surgical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surgical. Accessed 3 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

surgical

adjective
sur·​gi·​cal ˈsər-ji-kəl How to pronounce surgical (audio)
: of, relating to, or associated with surgeons or surgery
surgical skills
surgical equipment
a surgical fever
surgically adverb

Medical Definition

surgical

adjective
sur·​gi·​cal ˈsər-ji-kəl How to pronounce surgical (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or concerned with surgeons or surgery
surgical skill
2
: requiring surgical treatment
a surgical appendix
3
: used in or in connection with surgery
surgical gauze
4
: following or resulting from surgery
surgical fevers

More from Merriam-Webster on surgical

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