therapy

noun

ther·​a·​py ˈther-ə-pē 

plural therapies

1

: therapeutic medical treatment of impairment, injury, disease, or disorder

The number of new patients treated for end-stage renal disease … with dialysis or renal transplantation has continued to rise exponentially with an 8.4% annualized growth rate reaching more than 160,000 patients undergoing therapy in the United States in 1989.

—Friedrich K. Port

see also art therapy, chelation therapy, chemotherapy, gene therapy, hormone therapy, music therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, shock therapy, speech therapy

2

: psychotherapy

Furthermore, the psychotherapist knows that all actions in therapy are messages that need be decoded and understood regardless of the 'language' the patient uses.

—Bruno Bettelheim and Alvin A. Rosenfeld

Synonyms of therapy

• antidote
• remedy
• solution
• therapeutic

Examples of therapy in a Sentence

He is undergoing cancer therapy.

talking over my problem with you has been good therapy

Recent Examples on the Web

Key focus areas are preventative care and checks-ups, sports medicine and optimization, aesthetic medicine, and sleep quality, backed up by a hospital’s worth of biohacking and high-tech touchless treatments as well as holistic therapies. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 May 2026

The clearest red flags are unproven or invasive treatments — like stem cell therapy — and sweeping health claims tied to supplements, IV vitamin drips or biometric screenings that the science doesn’t yet support. —Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 22 May 2026

The new generation of luxury retreats — places like Preidlhof, Sha Wellness and Velaa Private Island — now offer infrared therapy, cryotherapy, stem cell treatments, IV vitamin drips and biometric testing alongside the traditional spa menu. —Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026

But the situation escalated when the judge ordered the children to stay with Larson for 90 days and possibly participate in reunification therapy, leading Ty and Brynlee to barricade themselves in protest. —Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin therapia, from Greek therapeia, from therapeuein

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing therapy

• androgen deprivation therapy
• art therapy
• aversion therapy
• behavioral therapy
• behavior therapy
• chelation therapy
• cognitive behavioral therapy
• cognitive behavior therapy
• cognitive therapy
• combination therapy
• conversion therapy
• couples therapy
• craniosacral therapy
• electroconvulsive therapy
• electroshock therapy
• estrogen replacement therapy
• gene therapy
• group therapy
• hormone replacement therapy
• hormone therapy
• light therapy
• massage therapy
• music therapy
• occupational therapy
• physical therapy
• play therapy
• polarity therapy
• primal scream therapy
• radiation therapy
• radium therapy
• reparative therapy
• replacement therapy
• self-therapy
• shock therapy
• speech therapy
• talk therapy
• X-ray therapy

Rhymes for therapy

• brachytherapy
• chemotherapy
• cryotherapy
• hydrotherapy
• hypnotherapy
• monotherapy
• phototherapy
• psychotherapy
• sclerotherapy
• immunotherapy
• pharmacotherapy
• physiotherapy

Kids Definition

therapy

noun

ther·​a·​py ˈther-ə-pē 

plural therapies

: treatment of an abnormal state of the mind or body

Medical Definition

therapy

noun

ther·​a·​py ˈther-ə-pē 

plural therapies

: therapeutic treatment: as

a

: remedial treatment of mental or bodily disorder

b

: an agency (as treatment) designed or serving to bring about rehabilitation or social adjustment see occupational therapy, recreational therapy