antidote

/'æntidout/

Thân thiện

A doctor administers the antidote to the patient.

Definition

Noun: 1. A substance that counteracts the effects of a poison: An antidote is a medicine or other agent used to neutralize or counteract the toxic effects of a specific poison or venom. 2. Something that corrects or relieves a harmful or unpleasant situation: In a figurative sense, an antidote can refer to anything that serves to counteract or relieve something harmful, negative, or undesirable.

Usage Examples

• Literal (Medical/Toxicological):
  • The doctor administered an antidote for the snake bite immediately.
  • Activated charcoal is sometimes used as an antidote for certain types of poisoning.
• Figurative:
  • Laughter is a wonderful antidote to stress.
  • He found that hard work was the perfect antidote to his boredom.

Advanced Usage

• "An antidote to/for/against something": This is the standard prepositional structure used with "antidote."
  • Scientists are searching for an effective antidote to this new toxin.
  • Travel can be an antidote for narrow-mindedness.
  • There is no known antidote against the venom of that species.

Variants and Related Words

• Antidotal (adjective): Having the properties of an antidote; counteracting.
  • The treatment had an antidotal effect on the poison.

Synonyms

• Counteragent: An agent that works against another.
• Antivenin/Antivenom: A specific type of antidote for venom from bites or stings.
• Cure: A remedy that relieves or heals a disease or condition. (Note: "Cure" is broader; an antidote is a specific type of cure for poison.)
• Remedy: A medicine or treatment for a disease or injury. (Note: A broader term; an antidote is a specific type of remedy.)
• Neutralizer: Something that makes something ineffective by applying an opposite force.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "The antidote is worse than the poison": An idiom meaning that the proposed solution or cure is more harmful or problematic than the original problem itself.
  • Raising taxes to fix the deficit? Sometimes the antidote is worse than the poison.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a remedy that stops or controls the effects of a poison

Từ đồng nghĩa

• counterpoison