1
as in pharmacist
a person who prepares drugs according to a doctor's prescription
in olden days the apothecary had few drugs that actually cured anything, most substances being little more than pain relievers
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2
as in pharmacy
a retail store where medicines and miscellaneous articles are sold
the historic village boasts an old-fashioned apothecary that's been there for almost a century and a half
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Recent Examples of apothecary
Invented at Sazerac House in the late 19th century, the Sazerac cocktail originally consisted of French brandy (specifically Cognac), Peychaud’s Bitters (created by a New Orleans apothecary in the 1830s), sugar, and absinthe.
—
Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2026
That means more adventures for Maomao, the servant turned apothecary swept up by political jockeying, feuding families, and, in the next season, a new mystery to solve.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
For decades after the nation’s founding, doctors had competition from homeopaths, herbalists, apothecaries, midwives, and religious healers—not to mention mothers.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
The bottles of bitters are sold at the apothecary, as well as online and in select stores, like Total Wine.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for apothecary
Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2026
That means more adventures for Maomao, the servant turned apothecary swept up by political jockeying, feuding families, and, in the next season, a new mystery to solve.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
For decades after the nation’s founding, doctors had competition from homeopaths, herbalists, apothecaries, midwives, and religious healers—not to mention mothers.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
The bottles of bitters are sold at the apothecary, as well as online and in select stores, like Total Wine.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for apothecary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apothecary
Noun
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According to state records, the Board of Pharmacy had referred the matter to the Board of Medicine after a patient of Hartsuch’s complained that his pharmacist refused to fill the physician’s prescription for ivermectin in the treatment of COVID-19.—
Clark Kauffman,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
11 Apr. 2026
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At the pickup, the pharmacist dropped the news that the drops would cost more than US$300.—
Deidre Popovich,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Now she's got to buy it from pharmacies, with her precious, diminishing savings.—
Diaa Hadid,
NPR,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Risky peptides Specifically, the PCAC will consider moving the 12 peptides back onto a list of drugs that compounding pharmacies can make for human use.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Apothecary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apothecary. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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