placebo effect
nounDefinition of placebo effect
: improvement in the condition of a patient that occurs in response to treatment but cannot be considered due to the specific treatment used
Examples of placebo effect in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His foundation from 1999 to 2001 helped fund research of Anne Harrington, a history of science professor, on the placebo effect. — Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, "Harvard has 'no plans' to return Jeffrey Epstein's $6.5M gift," 10 July 2019 With that said, there’s nothing wrong with the placebo effect. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "Do Weighted Blankets Even Do Anything for Anxiety?," 7 May 2019 However, there is scant scientific evidence that suggests those treatments are effective, though in some cases patients may see results because of the placebo effect. — Jani Actman, National Geographic, "How can traditional Chinese medicine threaten wildlife?," 17 June 2019 And the good ol’ placebo effect may dictate a good amount of what happens. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "How Does Cannabis Actually Affect Sex?," 25 Mar. 2019 Still, learning an instrument may have a beneficial placebo effect, exciting and motivating children to work hard. — Sue Shellenbarger, WSJ, "The Science Behind Making Your Child Smarter," 24 Dec. 2018 Or does horoscopes’ accuracy lie in the placebo effect? — Jennie Neufeld, Vox, "Vox Sentences: 1,427 dead. Not 64.," 10 Aug. 2018 Chess students may do better in school because of a placebo effect. — Sue Shellenbarger, WSJ, "The Science Behind Making Your Child Smarter," 24 Dec. 2018 The psychology of myalgias involves the nocebo effect, the flip side of the placebo effect. — Richard Klasco, New York Times, "How Many People Can’t Tolerate Statins?," 1 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'placebo effect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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