antidotal

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a nounmedical

   Working as an antidote, that is, able to cancel out or reduce the effect of a poison.

   Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: an antidotal treatment, not the treatment is antidotal.

   Patterns

   • antidotal to something

   Doctors gave the patient an antidotal dose within minutes of the bite.

   The lab tested several antidotal compounds against the toxin.

   The antidotal action of charcoal helps in some cases of poisoning.

2. 2adjectivecomparablefigurativeformal

   Helping to counter something harmful or unpleasant, such as a mood or bad influence.

   Grammar: Often followed by to: a hobby antidotal to stress.

   Patterns

   • antidotal to something

   Long walks were antidotal to the gloom of the winter months.

   The film's gentle humor was antidotal to the cynicism of the times.

Common combinations

antidotal effect

The drug had a clear antidotal effect within the hour.

antidotal treatment

No antidotal treatment is known for this toxin.

antidotal properties

Researchers studied the antidotal properties of the plant extract.

antidotal to stress

Gardening proved antidotal to stress for many of them.

Synonyms and how they differ

counteractive

Counteractive is more general and does not need a poison involved.

remedial

Remedial points to fixing a problem or deficiency, not specifically undoing a poison.

curative

Curative stresses healing a disease, whereas antidotal stresses neutralizing a harmful substance.

Opposites

Word family

antidote noun

a substance that counteracts a poison, or anything that counters something harmful

Commonly confused: antidotal or anecdotal?

Practice

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