placebo
Pronunciation: [pləˈsiːboʊ]
Word
Context: “medicine”
(noun) a fake treatment that looks like real medicine but doesn't have any real effect. Doctors sometimes use placebos to see if a patient is really feeling better or if it's just in their mind.
Example
The doctor gave her a placebo, and she felt like she was improving.
Example
He was disappointed to find out that the pill he took was just a placebo with no real medicine in it.
Example
What happens when someone receives a placebo instead of actual treatment?
Context: “psychology”
(noun) the idea that just believing you are taking medicine can make you feel better. Sometimes our minds are powerful enough to help us feel better, even with a placebo.
Example
The study showed that the placebo effect helped many people feel less pain.
Example
She realized that her relief from headaches was not because of the placebo but because she had taken a real painkiller.
Example
How does the placebo effect work in different people?
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