placebo

noun

pla·​ce·​bo plə-ˈsē-(ˌ)bō 

plural placebos

1

a

: a usually pharmacologically inert preparation prescribed more for the mental relief of the patient than for its actual effect on a disorder

b

: an inert or innocuous substance used especially in controlled experiments testing the efficacy of another substance (such as a drug)

2

: something tending to soothe

Did you know?

Doctors doing research on new treatments for disease often give one group a placebo while a second group takes the new medication. Since those in the placebo group usually believe they're getting the real thing, their own hopeful attitude may bring about improvement in their condition. Thus, for the real drug to be considered effective, it must produce even better results than the placebo. Placebos have another use as well. A doctor who suspects that a patient's physical symptoms are psychologically produced may prescribe a placebo in the hope that mentally produced symptoms can also be mentally cured.

Examples of placebo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What’s more, twice as many people in the group that got the active treatment reported remission of their depressive symptoms compared with people in the placebo group: 45% vs. 22%. —Brenda Goodman, CNN, 1 Nov. 2024

Also, rituals of any kind are good, so my sleepy bedtime beverages are, if nothing else, an excellent soothing placebo. —Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 31 Oct. 2024

Those who took semaglutide reported a significant reduction in pain – an average drop of about 42 points — while those in the placebo group had an average drop of 27.5 points. —Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024

At the end of the trial, the participants who took semaglutide lost an average of about 14% of their body weight — roughly 33 pounds — compared to about 3% in the placebo group. —Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, I shall please

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing placebo

• placebo effect

Kids Definition

placebo

noun

pla·​ce·​bo plə-ˈsē-bō 

plural placebos

1

: a medicine that usually has no effect on a disease and is prescribed by a doctor for the mental relief it offers a patient

2

something that is meant to soothe

Etymology

from Latin placebo "I shall please"

Medical Definition

placebo

noun

pla·​ce·​bo plə-ˈsē-(ˌ)bō 

plural placebos

1

: a usually pharmacologically inert preparation prescribed more for the mental relief of the patient than for its actual effect on a disorder

2

: an inert or innocuous substance used especially in controlled experiments testing the efficacy of another substance (as a drug)