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
: a medicinal drug
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
Ryan Wilusz, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
The pharmaceutical industry, represented by the trade organization PhRMA, would like to see Medicare rules changed to allow more patients to take the drugs and is pushing for more oversight and reining in of some of the compounding pharmacies that sell GLP-1 drugs directly to consumers.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 15 Apr. 2026
Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026
Outside of YouTube, Mama Bee worked in pharmaceuticals, and Papa Bee worked in market research, both netting six-figure salaries.
—Fortesa Latifi, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pharmaceutical
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Adjective
Bradham and his family were health conscious before his pharmaceutical studies.
—Ryan Wilusz, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
The pharmaceutical industry, represented by the trade organization PhRMA, would like to see Medicare rules changed to allow more patients to take the drugs and is pushing for more oversight and reining in of some of the compounding pharmacies that sell GLP-1 drugs directly to consumers.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 15 Apr. 2026
Noun
Cramer pointed to the downturn in pharmaceutical names.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026
Outside of YouTube, Mama Bee worked in pharmaceuticals, and Papa Bee worked in market research, both netting six-figure salaries.
—Fortesa Latifi, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pharmaceutical
Cite this Entry
“Pharmaceutical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pharmaceutical. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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
: of, relating to, or engaged in pharmacy or the manufacture and sale of pharmaceuticals
a pharmaceutical company
pharmaceutical
2 of 2 noun
variants
also pharmaceutic
: a medicinal drug
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