What does nonsteroidal mean?
Nonsteroidal means not involving or derived from steroids. Its commonest use is in medicine, where a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID, is a medicine that reduces pain, fever, or inflammation without being a steroid. Familiar examples include ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen. The word is useful because it identifies a broad and medically important category of medicines, distinguishing these drugs from corticosteroids and other steroid-based treatments. Although the distinction concerns the drugs' chemical class rather than their overall effects, it remains significant in discussions of treatment choices, side effects, and medical guidance. In general writing, nonsteroidal is most often seen before anti-inflammatory drug or in the plural form nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It is a precise, technical adjective rather than a casual synonym for any medicine used to treat pain.
adjectiveNot involving or derived from steroids. In medicine, the term is especially used to describe anti-inflammatory drugs that are not steroids, such as ibuprofen and aspirin.
- Not involving or derived from steroids, especially in reference to an anti-inflammatory medicine.
- Relating to medicines that reduce inflammation without being steroids.
"Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug commonly used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation."
"Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation."
"The researcher compared the effects of steroidal and nonsteroidal treatments."
Calling a painkiller nonsteroidal describes its class—not a guarantee that it is risk-free.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does nonsteroidal come from?
Nonsteroidal was formed in the modern period by combining the prefix non-, meaning 'not,' with steroid and the adjective suffix -al. Steroid was coined from Greek stereos, meaning 'solid,' together with the suffix -oid, a term used in the names of chemical compounds. Related words include steroidal, cholesterol, and sitosterol.
How nonsteroidal is actually used
This is a formal, mainly medical and scientific term. It is usually attributive, especially in the established phrase 'nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug' and its acronym, NSAID.
Easily confused with nonsteroidal
Steroidal means involving or derived from steroids, whereas nonsteroidal means not involving steroids.