treatment

The word “treatment” means medical care given for an illness or injury. In plain terms, treatment is either the medical care given for a condition, or, more generally, how someone or something is handled or dealt with.

“Treatment” is pronounced TREET-muhnt (/ˈtɹiːtmənt/ in IPA).

Here is “treatment” used in a sentence: “She underwent treatment for a torn ligament.”

“Treatment” is a noun.

“Treatment” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Treatment” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: medical care given for an illness or injury.

A treatment is any medical care given to manage an illness or injury — it may ease symptoms, slow a disease, or aid recovery. A cure completely ends the disease. Every cure is a treatment, but many treatments only control a condition rather than eliminating it altogether.

The words overlap and are often used interchangeably. Treatment is the broad term for any medical care, including drugs, surgery, and procedures. Therapy usually means treatment that doesn't involve surgery — such as physiotherapy, chemotherapy, or talking therapy — and is often given gradually over a period of time.

Broad categories include medication, surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, physical therapy and rehabilitation, and psychological or talking therapies. Treatments can also be described by their aim: curative (seeking to cure), preventive (stopping illness arising), or palliative (easing symptoms and improving comfort without curing the underlying disease).

Taking antibiotics for an infection, having surgery to repair a broken bone, undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, or attending physiotherapy after an injury are all treatments. Even rest, fluids, and pain relief prescribed for a bad cold count as a form of treatment.