pharmaceutical

1 of 2

adjective

phar·​ma·​ceu·​ti·​cal ˌfär-mə-ˈsü-ti-kəl 

: of, relating to, or engaged in pharmacy or the manufacture and sale of pharmaceuticals

a pharmaceutical company

pharmaceutically

ˌfär-mə-ˈsü-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

pharmaceutical

2 of 2

noun

: a medicinal drug

Synonyms of pharmaceutical

Noun

• drug
• medication
• medicine
• remedy
• cure

Examples of pharmaceutical in a Sentence

Adjective

lobbyists from the pharmaceutical industry

Noun

some pharmaceuticals can be quite risky unless taken correctly

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Her first gig involved producing sound accompaniment for a pharmaceutical commercial based around horse footage. — Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026

Other Ai4 talks and panels offered evidence to the contrary in fields ranging from pharmaceutical research to autonomous vehicles. — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 11 Aug. 2026

Noun

The ad also notes that Miller-Meeks, who sits on the GOP Doctors Caucus in the House, has received nearly $262,000 from the pharmaceutical and health industry while in office, according to the campaign finance website Open Secrets. — Gabrielle M. Etzel, The Washington Examiner, 11 Aug. 2026

The new technology, which was developed by British pharmaceutical company Stablepharma, uses a sugar called trehalose to turn vaccines into a powder that can be stored at room temperature, and later mixed with water before injection. — Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Late Latin pharmaceuticus, from Greek pharmakeutikos, from pharmakeuein to administer drugs — more at pharmacy

First Known Use

Adjective

1636, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1829, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pharmaceutical

• hermeneutical
• cuticle
• radiopharmaceutical

Kids Definition

pharmaceutical

1 of 2 adjective

phar·​ma·​ceu·​ti·​cal ˌfär-mə-ˈsüt-i-kəl 

: of, relating to, or involved in pharmacy or the manufacture and sale of medicinal drugs

a pharmaceutical company

pharmaceutically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

pharmaceutical

2 of 2 noun

: a drug or preparation used in medicine

Medical Definition

pharmaceutical

1 of 2 adjective

phar·​ma·​ceu·​ti·​cal ˌfär-mə-ˈsüt-i-kəl 

variants also pharmaceutic

-ˈsüt-ik 

: of, relating to, or engaged in pharmacy or the manufacture and sale of pharmaceuticals

a pharmaceutical company

pharmaceutically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

pharmaceutical

2 of 2 noun

variants also pharmaceutic

: a medicinal drug