surgical

adjective

sur·​gi·​cal ˈsər-ji-kəl 

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

ˈsər-ji-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of surgical in a Sentence

The work was done with surgical precision.

Recent Examples on the Web

Every surgeon relies on anesthesiologists, nurses, surgical techs and post-operative care specialists. —John M. O'Connor, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Non-surgical, non-pharmacological interventions, like gait retraining, could help fill this particularly challenging treatment gap. —Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025

Common techniques to minimize blood clots with post-surgical patients like Carrington include a doctor prescribing a blood thinner or having the patient wear compression stockings, among other options. —Jessica Van Egeren, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025

Jaylen Wright underwent a surgical procedure this week that could force the tailback to miss the first month of the Miami Dolphins’ 2025 season. —Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

surgeon + -ical

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing surgical

• pre-surgical
• surgical mask
• surgical spirit
• surgical strike

Rhymes for surgical

• chirurgical
• liturgical
• nonsurgical
• postsurgical
• dramaturgical
• metallurgical
• microsurgical
• neurosurgical

Kids Definition

surgical

adjective

sur·​gi·​cal ˈsər-ji-kəl 

: of, relating to, or associated with surgeons or surgery

surgical skills

surgical equipment

a surgical fever

surgically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

surgical

adjective

sur·​gi·​cal ˈsər-ji-kəl 

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