1
as in pharmacists
a person who prepares drugs according to a doctor's prescription
in olden days the apothecary had few drugs that actually cured anything, most substances being little more than pain relievers
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2
as in pharmacies
a retail store where medicines and miscellaneous articles are sold
the historic village boasts an old-fashioned apothecary that's been there for almost a century and a half
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of apothecaries
Belif is predominantly a skin care brand, inspired by 19th-century apothecaries and their herbal medicines, mixed with modern scientific Korean beauty theory.
—
Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
In densely populated neighborhoods of flimsy wooden houses, charcoal braziers tumbled over, fuel tanks ruptured, combustible chemicals in apothecaries exploded, and high winds fanned the flames through alleys.
—Joshua Hammer, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
For decades after the nation’s founding, doctors had competition from homeopaths, herbalists, apothecaries, midwives, and religious healers—not to mention mothers.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Eventually, hard candies were made from the plant and carried in many apothecaries and general stores.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 30 Nov. 2025
Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
In densely populated neighborhoods of flimsy wooden houses, charcoal braziers tumbled over, fuel tanks ruptured, combustible chemicals in apothecaries exploded, and high winds fanned the flames through alleys.
—Joshua Hammer, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
For decades after the nation’s founding, doctors had competition from homeopaths, herbalists, apothecaries, midwives, and religious healers—not to mention mothers.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Eventually, hard candies were made from the plant and carried in many apothecaries and general stores.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 30 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apothecaries
Noun
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Nurses, doctors and pharmacists, as well as health groups such as the American Heart Association (AHA) and American Cancer Society (ACS), had the broad support of 80 percent or more of respondents.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
9 June 2026
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The pharmacists had kept hundreds of handwritten letters from customers whose skin had been healed, which soon also included my own.—
Rachel Burchfield,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Don’t overlook mail-order pharmacies, which often have competitive pricing.—
Karon Warren,
AJC.com,
11 June 2026
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But it is being facilitated by doctors and specialized pharmacies that are principally regulated at the state level, legal experts say, as well as unregulated sources that operate outside the typical guardrails designed to assure drug quality.—
Daniel Gilbert,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Apothecaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apothecaries. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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