What does pharmacologic mean?
Pharmacologic is an adjective relating to the study, use, action, or effects of drugs. It is especially common in medical and scientific writing, where a pharmacologic agent, treatment, or effect is a substance or intervention intended to affect biological processes. For example, a drug may be described as having a rapid pharmacologic effect if it begins altering symptoms or bodily functions soon after administration. The term is closely related to pharmacology, the science of studying how drugs interact with living systems, and to pharmaceutical science. Although pharmacological is often the more familiar form in British English, pharmacologic is common in American medical usage. It is useful because it emphasizes the drug-related mechanism or effect rather than the practical details of administering a medicine, such as its dosage, formulation, or packaging.
adjectiveRelating to pharmacology, especially to the action or effects of drugs on the body. Pharmacologic treatments use substances to prevent, treat, or manage disease and medical conditions.
- Relating to pharmacology or to the action and effects of drugs on the body.
"The drug produced a marked pharmacologic effect, reducing inflammation within hours."
"Researchers are investigating the pharmacologic basis of the treatment."
"The medication's benefits were partly due to its pharmacologic action on the nervous system."
The word points to the powerful idea that medicines can be understood not only by what they contain, but by what they do to the body.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pharmacologic come from?
The word belongs to a family derived from Greek pharmakon, meaning drug or poison, through pharmacology and pharmaceutical. The suffix -ic was added to create an adjective concerning pharmacology. Its related vocabulary includes pharmaceutical, concerning or relating to drugs, and pharmacopoeia, an authoritative list of drugs and their standards.
Related word forms
How pharmacologic is actually used
In contemporary English, pharmacological is generally the more common form, especially in British usage. Pharmacologic is widely understood in medical, scientific, and pharmaceutical contexts and is common in American English.
Easily confused with pharmacologic
Pharmacologic describes the action or effects of drugs, while pharmaceutical more commonly refers to medicines or the industry that develops and produces them.