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
Synonyms
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
Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Experts only discovered an effective treatment for diphtheria around the turn of the 20th century, when public health agencies and pharmaceutical companies started producing an antitoxin serum derived from the blood of horses.
—David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Jan. 2025
Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2025
What was once thought impossible is now on the horizon as the medical cannabis and pharmaceutical industries continue to overlap.
—Benjamin Adams, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for pharmaceutical 
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Adjective
The Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse star has teamed up with pharmaceutical company Novartis to encourage women to prioritize their breast health in a new Super Bowl ad.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Experts only discovered an effective treatment for diphtheria around the turn of the 20th century, when public health agencies and pharmaceutical companies started producing an antitoxin serum derived from the blood of horses.
—David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Jan. 2025
Noun
Earlier this month, the group surpassed Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk to regain the title of Europe’s most valuable company.
—Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2025
What was once thought impossible is now on the horizon as the medical cannabis and pharmaceutical industries continue to overlap.
—Benjamin Adams, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for pharmaceutical
Dictionary Entries Near pharmaceutical
Cite this Entry
“Pharmaceutical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pharmaceutical. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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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