adjective
pharmaceutical
fah-muh-SOO-tih-kl
adjective
1
Relating to the preparation, sale, or study of medicinal drugs.
"The pharmaceutical industry invests heavily in clinical trials."
"She works for a large pharmaceutical company in research and development."
noun
1
A manufactured drug or medicine.
"The warehouse stores pharmaceuticals that need refrigeration."
How to Use Pharmaceutical
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo do with medicines and the companies or science behind making them.
Common pairings
pharmaceutical company
pharmaceutical industry
pharmaceutical drug
Word Forms
pharmaceuticals plural
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The _____ industry invests heavily in clinical trials.
Etymology
From Latin pharmaceuticus ("of drugs"), itself from Greek pharmakeutikos, meaning relating to the use of medicines.