off-label

adjective

off-la·​bel ˈȯf-ˌlā-bəl 

: of, relating to, or being a drug used to treat a condition for which it has not been officially approved

Examples of off-label in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Because no female-specific formulation exists, doctors must navigate off-label workarounds. — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

There is rising off-label use of testosterone among menopausal women. — Ava Tsapatsaris, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

Doctors, meanwhile, can provide the vaccines off-label in any state. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 Sep. 2026

If psilocybin therapy is approved for another condition whose study is further along, Hendricks notes, doctors may be able to prescribe it off-label for cocaine use disorder as researchers continue to pursue FDA approval. — Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for off-label

• damnable
• disable
• enable
• roundtable
• timetable
• turntable
• unable
• unstable
• able
• chaebol
• fable
• label

Medical Definition

off-label

adjective

off-la·​bel ˌȯf-ˌlā-bəl 

: of, relating to, or being an approved drug legally prescribed or a medical device legally used by a physician for a purpose (as the treatment of children or of a certain disease or condition) for which it has not been specifically approved (as by the United States Food and Drug Administration)

the off-label use of oral contraceptives to treat dysmenorrhea