curative
12 synonyms and 3 antonyms for curative, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adjective — Able to cure a disease or heal an injury, rather than merely relieve its symptoms.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adjective
Able to cure a disease or heal an injury, rather than merely relieve its symptoms.
“Surgery is still the only curative treatment for early-stage disease.”
Opposites
2. noun
A medicine or treatment that cures something.
“Sunlight was once prescribed as a curative for almost anything.”
3. adjective
Having a generally restorative or corrective effect on something troubled.
“A fortnight by the sea had a curative effect on his mood.”
How to use curative
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Neutral to formal. Standard in medical writing; the noun sense sounds old-fashioned in general use.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin curativus, from Latin curare 'to care for, to attend to, to heal', from cura 'care'.
Full origin of curative →