Curative

Having the power to cure; providing a remedy or healing effect.

adjective

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Imagine This

Imagine a glowing bottle labeled Curative that, when touched to a patient, emits a soft light and instantly eases a fever and pain as the body begins to mend.

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Sounds Like

KYUR-uh-tiv

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Looks Like

Looks like 'cure' + the suffix '-ative'; resembles other -ative adjectives (decorative, communicative).

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Remember This

The root 'cur-' relates to care and healing, coming from Latin curare, meaning to take care of or to cure.

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Other Forms

curativenoun

curativelyadverb

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Connect With

cure, remedy, remedial, therapeutic, healing, restorative, treatment

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Note

Beware of confusing curative with 'curator' or 'curate'; they share the root but have different meanings. Use curative to describe something that heals, not a person who manages items.

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Study Deeper

Examples

The new drug is touted as a curative for certain infections, though it may not work for everyone.
Doctors seek curative therapies rather than merely palliative ones for serious diseases.

Synonyms

remedialhealingtherapeuticrestorativecuring

Antonyms

harmfuldeleteriousinjurious

Etymology

From Latin curativus 'of caring for, healing,' from curare 'to take care of, to cure'.

Mnemonic

CURE + ACTIVE: Curative means cure is active—something that actively cures or heals.

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Placid

adjective

Calm, peaceful, and not easily excited or upset; describes a tranquil demeanor or setting.

Flippant

adjective

Lacking proper seriousness or respect; treating important matters with a frivolous, glib attitude.

Deficit

noun

A shortfall or deficiency; the amount by which something, especially money, falls short of what is required or expected.

Similar Words

Related words and words with the same part of speech.

Remedy

noun

A medicine or treatment that cures or alleviates a disease; or a means of solving or correcting a problem. As a verb, to remedy means to fix or rectify something.