therapy
- 01 B1 Intermediate
treatment to help someone feel better or get stronger after an illness, injury, or mental health struggle.
the remediation of a health problem, often following a clinical diagnosis; it encompasses both physiological and psychological interventions.
Simple“After his car accident, he had to go to physical therapy twice a week.”
In context“The patient responded well to cognitive behavioral therapy, showing significant improvement in managing her anxiety symptoms over six months.”
UsageOften used uncountably when referring to the process in general, but countable when referring to a specific type.
Teacher's tipIn modern conversation, 'therapy' without a modifier usually implies psychotherapy (counseling).
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a feeling or activity that makes you feel calm, happy, or relaxed.
the curative or restorative power or quality of an activity or environment.
Simple“For many people, gardening is a form of therapy after a stressful day at work.”
In context“The quiet solitude of the mountains provided a much-needed therapy for the exhausted researchers.”
Teacher's tipOften used metaphorically for hobbies like gardening or cooking.
Synonyms
“We tested if the gene therapy would still work and be delivered into cells, and we show that it would.”
“After a lot of therapy, they say, “I actually have started to find the happiness and the joy of meeting people.”
From New Latin therapīa, from Ancient Greek θεραπεία (therapeía, “service, medical treatment”), from θεραπεύω (therapeúō, “to serve, treat medically”) + -ία (-ía, suffix for forming abstract nouns).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.