nocebo effect

noun

A deleterious placebo effect.

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Meanings

nounnocebo effect (plural nocebo effects)

plural nocebo effects

  1. A deleterious placebo effect.

    A nocebo effect was observed when saline was administered.

    1997 June, Fabrizio Benedettia with Martina Amanzioa, Caterina Casadioc, Alberto Oliaroc, and Giuliano Maggic, “Blockade of nocebo hyperalgesia by the cholecystokinin antagonist proglumide”, in Pain, volume 71, number 2, →DOI, pages 135–140
    2 more examples

    The nocebo effect can be observed even when people take real, non-placebo drugs.

    2012 August 10, Paul Enck with Winfried Häuser, “Beward the Nocebo Effect”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

    The nocebo effect is a negative placebo effect. It's why I had my doctor take me off my placebos. They kept curing my hypochondria.

    2012 November 7, The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert (actor)

Translations

Dutch nocebo-effect
  • nocebo-effecta deleterious placebo effect
Finnish lumehaitta, nosebovaikutus
  • lumehaittaa deleterious placebo effect
  • nosebovaikutusa deleterious placebo effect
French effet nocebo
  • effet noceboa deleterious placebo effect
Cite this entry
APA

nocebo effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nocebo%20effect

MLA

“nocebo effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nocebo%20effect. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nocebo effect,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nocebo%20effect.

Source: nocebo effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.