hydroxychloroquine

noun

hy·​droxy·​chlor·​o·​quine hī-ˌdräk-sē-ˈklȯr-ə-ˌkwēn 

-kwin

: a drug derived from quinolone that is taken orally in the form of its sulfate C₁₈H₂₆ClN₃O·H₂SO₄ to treat malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus erythematosus

Two commonly used antimalarials are chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, both generic drugs.

—Consumer Reports

Originally an antimalarial drug, hydroxychloroquine is often … prescribed to people with mild, slowly progressing arthritis.

—Samir Sutaria

Examples of hydroxychloroquine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier in the pandemic, then-President Donald Trump had encouraged the use of both hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug, and ivermectin, an antiparasitic medication, to treat the virus. —Suzanne King, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2025

In 2020, the FDA said that hydroxychloroquine could cause heart rhythm problems and should not be used outside a hospital setting. —Suzanne King, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2025

In addition, just as President Donald Trump encouraged hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to treat COVID-19, both unproven therapies, Kennedy claims that vitamin A supplementation using cod liver oil will prevent and treat measles despite no scientific basis for this intervention. —Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025

Oz promoted using the malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat COVID-19, a theory that was debunked but spread by Trump and others for months. —Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hydroxychloroquine

• isoleucine
• acini
• aldine
• arsine
• carinii
• cosine
• delphine
• domine
• latine
• leucine
• ovine
• pennine

Medical Definition

hydroxychloroquine

noun

hy·​droxy·​chlor·​o·​quine -ˈklōr-ə-ˌkwēn, -kwin 

: a drug derived from quinoline that is administered orally in the form of its sulfate C₁₈H₂₆ClN₃O·H₂SO₄ to treat malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus erythematosus see plaquenil