panacea

noun

ˌpa-nə-ˈsē-ə How to pronounce panacea (audio)
Definition of panaceanext
as in remedy
something that cures all ills or problems a woman who seems to believe that chicken soup is a panacea for nearly everything

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 panacea Fish oil supplements and omega-3 fatty acids are often touted as a panacea for everything from heart health and brain function to immune systems and overall everyday well-being. — Drew Pittock, USA Today, 29 June 2026 And environmentalists like Patrick McDonough warn that building more desal plants up and down the California coast isn't the panacea for the Colorado River crisis. — Kirk Siegler, NPR, 3 June 2026 At the same time, the research team was clear that its findings are not a panacea — being diagnosed with a specific illness is often only an early step toward finding and then pursuing treatment options — and that LLMs are not meant to be used by consumers to treat or diagnose diseases. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 18 June 2026 More bureaucracy — in the form of the new stand-alone Department of Gun Violence Reduction — while well-intentioned, isn’t the panacea to what plagues our city, especially as whoever is appointed head of this new department will enjoy too much independence from the mayor. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for panacea
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panacea
  1. remedy
  2. cure
  3. elixir
  4. cure-all
  5. nostrum
Noun
  • Her remedy isn't avoidance, but direct conversation—giving people space to talk through what went wrong before launching the next effort.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • The dealers will inspect and repair or replace the fender flares as necessary, free of charge, as part of the recall remedy, NHTSA said.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 30 June 2026
Definition of remedy
Noun
  • The problem is that if AI does lead to massive job loss, simply informing job seekers of the resilience of these job categories offers no cure to the sweeping harm of permanently higher unemployment.
    — Gene Sperling, Time, 1 July 2026
  • There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease but some medications and immunotherapies are available that may help slow down the progression of the condition, manage symptoms and improve quality of life for patients.
    — Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 1 July 2026
Definition of cure
Noun
  • The Alaria seaweed elixir brings its anti-aging properties into play, helping with skin elasticity, tightness, and firmness, while the passion fruit seed and coconut oils hydrate and lock in moisture.
    — Melony Forcier, InStyle, 2 July 2026
  • With one spritz of an elixir, Iris is able to explore her potent past and visit the magical possibilities of her future.
    — Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
Definition of elixir
Noun
  • But contrary to the TikTok hype, hypochlorous acid is not a cure-all.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 26 June 2026
  • Where InsurTech startups were once pitched as plug-and-play cure-alls, the talk now is of narrower tools trained on a single bottleneck, with the carrier keeping hold of the judgment.
    — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Definition of cure-all
Noun
  • Anderson found the origins of present fads in the fervent nostrums of the past.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Because of the false but persistent and powerfully seductive nostrum that reducing the value of a country’s currency will stimulate its economy by making its exports cheaper and its imports more expensive.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Definition of nostrum

Browse Nearby Words

pan
panacea
panaceas
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Panacea.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panacea. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on panacea

Nglish: Translation of panacea for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All