chemotherapeutic

adjective

che·​mo·​ther·​a·​peu·​tic ˌkē-mō-ˌther-ə-ˈpyü-tik How to pronounce chemotherapeutic (audio)
: of, relating to, or used in chemotherapy
chemotherapeutic noun
chemotherapeutically
ˌkē-mō-ˌther-ə-ˈpyü-ti-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce chemotherapeutic (audio)
adverb

Examples of chemotherapeutic in a Sentence

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.
Methotrexate, a chemotherapeutic drug, is most commonly used and is typically injected into your upper arm or buttocks in one dose (or possibly multiple doses). — Annie Sneed, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2020 This can often be treated with cryotherapy (extreme cold air treatment), a topical chemotherapeutic agent (a drug that works to slow down or stop cancer cell growth), or photodynamic therapy (a light treatment used to destroy abnormal cells). — Isadora Baum, Allure, 19 Nov. 2024 The youth was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of 3 and has undergone chemotherapy treatments, including injecting chemotherapeutic agents into his cerebrospinal fluid, according to court documents. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

chemo- + therapeutic, after German chemotherapeutisch

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chemotherapeutic was in 1907

Rhymes for chemotherapeutic

See All Rhymes for chemotherapeutic

Browse Nearby Words

chemotaxonomy
chemotherapeutic
chemotherapy
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Cite this Entry

“Chemotherapeutic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chemotherapeutic. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Medical Definition

chemotherapeutic

1 of 2 adjective
che·​mo·​ther·​a·​peu·​tic -ˌther-ə-ˈpyüt-ik How to pronounce chemotherapeutic (audio)
variants also chemotherapeutical
-i-kəl How to pronounce chemotherapeutic (audio)
: of, relating to, or used in chemotherapy
chemotherapeutically
-i-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce chemotherapeutic (audio)
adverb

chemotherapeutic

2 of 2 noun
variants or chemotherapeutical
: an agent used in chemotherapy
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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