What does "prescription" mean?
A written order from an authorized medical practitioner for provision of a medicine or other treatment, such as (ophthalmology) the specific lenses needed for a pair of glasses.
Prescription
/pɹəˈskɹɪpʃən/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A written order from an authorized medical practitioner for provision of a medicine or other treatment, such as (ophthalmology) the specific lenses needed for a pair of glasses.
- Grammar: prescription is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: act, adverse possession, aid, alodium.
- Useful contrasts: nonprescription, discretion, withholding.
- Usage evidence: Sorry, we can't fill this prescription here.
How to use "prescription"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "prescription" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "prescription" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "prescription" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "prescription" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "prescription" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "act" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "prescription", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A written order from an authorized medical practitioner for provision of a medicine or other treatment, such as (ophthalmology) the specific lenses needed for a pair of glasses. countable, uncountable
"The surgeon had written thousands of prescriptions for pain killers without proper examinations before the police raided the clinic."
- 2 a drug that is available only with written instructions from a doctor or dentist to a pharmacist wordnet
- 3 The medicine or treatment provided by such an order. countable, uncountable
"I need you to pick up gramma's prescriptions on your way home."
- 4 written instructions from a physician or dentist to a druggist concerning the form and dosage of a drug to be issued to a given patient wordnet
- 5 Any plan of treatment or handling; the treatment or handling thus provided. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"Early to bed and early to rise is a prescription for a long, healthy, and terrible life."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 written instructions for an optician on the lenses for a given person wordnet
- 7 Synonym of enactment, the act of establishing a law, regulation, etc., particularly in writing; an instance of this. countable, uncountable
"A statute that cannot find justification for its prescription in one or more of these principles violates international law."
- 8 directions prescribed beforehand; the action of prescribing authoritative rules or directions wordnet
- 9 The act of establishing or formalizing ideal norms for language use, as opposed to describing the actual norms of such use; an instance of this. countable, uncountable
- 10 An established time period within which a right must be exercised and after which it is null and permanently unenforceable. countable, uncountable
- 11 An established time period after which a person who has uninterruptedly, peacefully, and publicly used another's property acquires full ownership of it. countable, uncountable
- 12 Synonym of self-restraint, limiting of one's actions especially according to a moral code or social conventions. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"There is an air of prescription about him which is always agreeable to Sir Leicester; he receives it as a kind of tribute."
Adjective
- 1 available only with a doctor's written prescription wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Sorry, we can't fill this prescription here."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "prescription"?
Common synonyms include: act, adverse possession, aid, alodium, alterative, analeptic.
How do you use "prescription" in a sentence?
Sorry, we can't fill this prescription here.
How do you pronounce "prescription"?
Pronounced /pɹəˈskɹɪpʃən/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French, from Old French prescripcion, from Latin praescriptio (“preface; pretext; something written ahead of time”), from prae- (“pre-, before”) + scribere (“to write”) + -tio (“-tion, forming nouns”). Equivalent to prescribe + -tion.