allopathy

IPA/əˈlɒp.ə.θi/
IPA/əˈlɑː.pə.θi/

allopathy — noun

1. a word used mainly by followers of alternative medicine (such as homeopathy or t

1.nounC1
Definition

a word used mainly by followers of alternative medicine (such as homeopathy or traditional Chinese medicine) to refer to the mainstream, hospital-based medical system that most doctors practise

Example

The herbal medicine pamphlet described allopathy as a system that treats symptoms rather than the whole person.

Some alternative health websites contrast allopathy with naturopathy, claiming the latter is gentler.

contrast allopathy with naturopathy

Common collocations
  • contrast allopathy with ~
  • describe ~ as
  • criticise ~ for
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • alternative medicine

    umbrella term for non-mainstream practices such as acupuncture, homeopathy, or herbalism

  • homeopathy

    specifically the system that coined 'allopathy' as a contrasting label

Usage Note

Frequently used within alternative-medicine communities, this sense carries an implied contrast with homeopathy and other non-mainstream therapies. In neutral or scientific contexts, 'conventional medicine' or 'Western medicine' is more common and avoids that ideological framing.

Common Mistakes

Allopathy can cure cancer faster than any other method.
Conventional medicine treats cancer using surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
'Allopathy' is not the standard term in ordinary medical discussion; use 'conventional medicine' or 'evidence-based medicine'.

2. the established system of medical practice that treats disease using drugs, surg

2.nounC1
Definition

the established system of medical practice that treats disease using drugs, surgery, radiation, and other therapies whose effectiveness has been tested through clinical research and shown to produce effects different from the symptoms of the illness itself

Example

Dr. Lin studied allopathy at a teaching hospital in Seoul before moving into public health research.

studied allopathy at a teaching hospital

Allopathy treats strep throat with antibiotics that kill the bacteria causing the infection.

Common collocations
  • practise ~
  • study ~
  • integrate ~ with
  • combine ~ and
  • trained in ~
Synonyms
  • biomedicine

    academic term for the same system; focuses on biological mechanisms

  • Western medicine

    widely understood, especially in Asia and Africa, though the practice is now global

  • conventional medicine

    everyday term that does not carry the historical contrast with homeopathy

Antonyms

Usage Note

Used globally as the standard of medical care taught in almost all medical schools, this is the mainstream meaning of the word. In everyday conversation, speakers are more likely to say 'medicine' or 'conventional medicine' than 'allopathy'.

Common Mistakes

Allopathy is a type of alternative medicine.
Allopathy is another name for the conventional, evidence-based medical system.
Allopathy is the opposite of alternative medicine, not a subset of it.

Word family

  • allopathic
    adjectiveC1
  • allopathically
    adverbC2
  • allopath
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four terms refer to the same system of medical practice, but they differ in tone, audience, and precision. 'Conventional medicine' is the most neutral everyday term — it simply describes what most doctors do, without any ideological framing. 'Western medicine' is common in East Asian and developing-world contexts where a distinction from local traditional systems is helpful, though the term can feel geographically limiting now that this medical model is practised globally. 'Biomedicine' is an academic term used in anthropology and medical sociology to emphasise the biological and scientific underpinnings of the system. 'Evidence-based medicine' is the most precise label: it highlights the requirement that treatments be validated through clinical trials. When writing for a general audience, 'conventional medicine' is usually the safest choice. For example: 'Many cancer patients receive conventional medicine (radiation and chemotherapy) alongside complementary therapies like acupuncture.'

conventional medicineWestern medicinebiomedicineevidence-based medicine

Common collocations

Nouns

  • allopathy and homeopathy
  • allopathy versus alternative medicine
  • the practice of allopathy

Phrases

  • trained in allopathy
  • a practitioner of allopathy

Etymology

GreekGermanEnglish

The word 'allopathy' was created in the early 1800s by Samuel Hahnemann, the German founder of homeopathy. He combined two Greek roots: ἄλλος (állos, 'other, different') and πάθος (pathos, 'suffering, disease'). The idea was that the conventional medicine of his day treated illness by producing effects opposite to the symptoms ('treatment by opposites'), unlike homeopathy which used 'like cures like'. Over time, the term became a general label for mainstream, evidence-based medicine, although it is still mostly used by people who want to distinguish it from alternative approaches.