as in medicinal
tending to cure disease or restore health
some believe that the herb has curative properties
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in antidote
something that corrects or counteracts something undesirable
the best curative for her depression might be volunteer work at a local animal shelter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of curative
Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Since there’s no preventive or curative medicine, avoiding infection is the best course of action.
—Devika Rao, TheWeek, 29 Jan. 2026
Money-minded Venus is squaring curative Chiron, pushing you to match your spending habits with your values (without shaming yourself or others).
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2026
Scientifically, preventive medicine is always preferred over curative, but what happens when there is neither prevention nor cure?
—Hany Demian, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for curative
Adjective
Signature massages use organic oils from the Almescar tree, derived from a bioactive resin which acts as a natural insect repellent, curative panacea, and incense.
—Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Since there’s no preventive or curative medicine, avoiding infection is the best course of action.
—Devika Rao, TheWeek, 29 Jan. 2026
Money-minded Venus is squaring curative Chiron, pushing you to match your spending habits with your values (without shaming yourself or others).
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2026
Scientifically, preventive medicine is always preferred over curative, but what happens when there is neither prevention nor cure?
—Hany Demian, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for curative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curative
Adjective
-
The farm specializes in gourmet and medicinal fungi, such as oyster, lion's mane, and native Danish coral tooth mushrooms.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
Then there’s the white sage, with its velvety leaves and strong, almost medicinal scent.—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
Block Island, Rhode Island An 80- to 90-minute ferry ride from New London, Connecticut, or Newport, Rhode Island, this approximately 7,000-acre island is the perfect antidote to the more congested Massachusetts destination Nantucket.—
Kira Turnbull,
Travel + Leisure,
6 June 2026
-
Their focus on old values of community, mutual respect, reciprocity and the embrace of the gift economy is an antidote to the individualistic, competitive and combative discourse that’s prevalent in the West today.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
These regulations should ensure that any platform capable of forming a persuasive bond with a user is subject to similar safety oversight as a licensed therapeutic service.—
Hansa Bhargava,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Health workers say the sessions are designed as therapeutic interventions for living with anxiety, depression, autism, schizophrenia or other conditions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
In a loss, OpenAI could face pressure to implement remedies like age-gating free ChatGPT accounts to protect kids, shutting down conversations that discuss violence and suicide, and removing features that the state says deceptively make ChatGPT feel like talking to a human.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
1 June 2026
-
Stories like Martinez’s are fueling interest in HBOT as a treatment for long COVID, a broad constellation of symptoms, including brain fog and debilitating fatigue that affects millions of people worldwide and has no clear remedy.—
Clarissa Brincat,
Scientific American,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
According to the statement, Xcel has identified resource adequacy as a growing concern for several years and has proposed multiple solutions, including a near-term procurement plan designed to add 3,800 megawatts of new generation capacity.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
2 June 2026
-
Instead of selecting a single contractor early in development, the Navy is allowing multiple companies to demonstrate competing solutions before determining which designs are mature enough for broader deployment.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
No family should have to watch their child suffer while a life-changing therapy sits trapped in regulatory red tape.—
Elise Esposito,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
-
This is a time when TCM has never been more popular, with practices including acupuncture, as well as cupping, herbal medicine, and other somatic therapies (or something as simple as drinking warm water) going mainstream in the Western world.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
His room came with a balcony and a wooden lounge chair for taking a rest cure, just as patients did a century ago.—
Adam Kirsch,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
-
While the science is always evolving, colostrum should be viewed as a promising but still largely unproven supplement rather than a cure-for-all wellness product.—
Omer Awan,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Curative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curative. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
