placebo
noun
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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
Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Aug. 2024
Blinded trials with a placebo group are often considered the gold standard in medical research, but Rind says there are other ways to ensure reliable results.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 15 Aug. 2024
That’s compared with a placebo group that drank a beverage that looked and tasted like coffee and maintained similar diet and exercise habits.
—Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2024
One study conducted in Antarctica over two seasons found that people who regularly took tyrosine during the arctic winter showed a 47% increase in mood scores compared to a 136% decrease in the placebo group.
—Lindsey Desoto, Rd, Ld, Health, 10 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for placebo 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'placebo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Placebo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placebo. Accessed 6 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
placebo
noun
from Latin placebo "I shall please"
Medical Definition
placebo
noun
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