medical

adjective

med·​i·​cal ˈme-di-kəl How to pronounce medical (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or concerned with physicians or the practice of medicine
the medical profession
a medical journal
2
: requiring or devoted to medical treatment
a medical problem
an important advance in medical science
medically
ˈme-di-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce medical (audio)
adverb

Examples of medical in a Sentence

He has a dangerous medical condition. The report was published in a leading medical journal. Her recovery was a medical miracle. He opened his own medical practice. an important advance in medical science
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Indeed, international economists, including those at the IMF, are urging Beijing to spend more on basic welfare — medical cover, unemployment benefits, pensions — to boost consumer spending power. — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026 Last month, the Kremlin acknowledged problems with food and medical ​supplies getting into Oleshky, saying its military was working to resolve them. — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026 Using an agent to book a human doctor through a medical portal could be much riskier. — Marty Swant, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026 Eagles’ medical experts determined that mobility was important, and Hurts could safely play against the Jaguars. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for medical

Word History

Etymology

French or Late Latin; French médical, from Late Latin medicalis, from Latin medicus physician, from mederi to remedy, heal; akin to Avestan vī-mad- healer, Greek medesthai to be mindful of — more at mete

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of medical was in 1646

Phrases Containing medical

Rhymes for medical

See All Rhymes for medical

Browse Nearby Words

Medicaid
medical
medical center
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Medical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medical. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

medical

adjective
med·​i·​cal ˈmed-i-kəl How to pronounce medical (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or concerned with the science or practice of medicine
a medical education
2
: requiring, providing, or used in medical treatment
medical emergencies
a medical device
medically
-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce medical (audio)
adverb

Medical Definition

medical

1 of 2 adjective
med·​i·​cal ˈmed-i-kəl How to pronounce medical (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or concerned with physicians or the practice of medicine often as distinguished from surgery
2
: requiring or devoted to medical treatment
a medical emergency
medically
-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce medical (audio)
adverb

medical

2 of 2 noun
: a medical examination
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All