Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Having the ability to cure or restore to health: Describes something that possesses healing properties or is intended to treat disease or alleviate pain.
   • Relating to the treatment of disease: Pertaining to therapy or remedial measures.

2. Noun:

   • A substance or treatment that cures disease or relieves pain: A medicine, therapy, or agent used for healing.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The spa is famous for the curative properties of its mineral springs.
  • Doctors studied the plant's curative effects on the infection.
• Noun:
  • This herb is known as a powerful curative for digestive ailments.
  • Before modern antibiotics, finding an effective curative was often difficult.

Advanced Usage

• "Curative care": Medical treatment aimed at curing a disease, as opposed to palliative care which focuses on relieving symptoms.
  • The hospital shifted its focus from palliative to curative care for the condition.
• Used in legal/formal contexts: "Curative instruction/statute": A judicial instruction or a law intended to correct a legal error or defect.
  • The judge issued a curative instruction to the jury to disregard the improper evidence.

Variants and Related Words

• Cure (n/v): The act of curing or a remedy that cures.
• Curable (adj): Able to be cured.
• Incurable (adj): Not able to be cured.
• Curatively (adv): In a curative manner.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Healing, therapeutic, remedial, medicinal, restorative, sanative.
• Noun: Remedy, cure, medication, medicine, therapeutic, treatment.

Antonyms

• Adjective: Harmful, injurious, damaging, deleterious.
• Noun: Toxin, poison, venom.

Related Phrases

• Curative power/efficacy: The effectiveness of something in curing.
  • They doubted the curative power of the old folk recipe.
• With curative intent: With the purpose of achieving a cure.
  • The surgery was performed with curative intent.

Adjective

1. tending to cure or restore to health
   • curative powers of herbal remedies
   • her gentle healing hand
   • remedial surgery
   • a sanative environment of mountains and fresh air
   • a therapeutic agent
   • therapeutic diets

Noun

1. a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain