medically

IPA/ˈmedɪkli/
KK[mˈɛdəkli]IPA/ˈmedɪkli/

medically — adverb

1. used to describe actions, conditions, or decisions that relate to medicine, the

1.adverbB2
Definition

used to describe actions, conditions, or decisions that relate to medicine, the work of doctors and nurses, or the health of the body.

Example

The patient was medically stable after the surgery and moved to a regular ward.

medically stable — describing health status after treatment

The doctor declared Talia medically unfit to fly for at least two months.

declared + object + medically unfit + infinitive

Common collocations
  • medically fit
  • medically unfit
  • medically necessary
  • medically stable
  • medically significant
  • medically supervised
  • medically serious
  • medically indicated
  • medically treatable
  • medically certified
Synonyms
  • clinically

    narrower — focuses on hospital or laboratory settings and observed signs, e.g. 'clinically depressed' vs. the broader 'medically unfit'

  • therapeutically

    focuses on the effects of treatment rather than the medical context generally; less common in everyday language

Grammar Patterns

medically + adjective (medically stable)

medically + past participle (medically supervised)

declared + object + medically + adjective (declared her medically unfit)

Usage Note

Almost always placed directly before an adjective or past participle — it does not appear on its own at the end of a sentence. The adjectives it modifies typically evaluate medical condition (stable, fit, unfit, serious) or necessity (necessary, indicated).

Common Mistakes

She went for a medically check-up.
She went for a medical check-up.
'medically' is an adverb and cannot modify a noun; use the adjective 'medical' before nouns.
The wound was treated medically.
The wound was treated with medical care.
'medically' does not work as a standalone adverb of manner after the verb; use a different structure.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

These three adverbs all describe things from a health-care perspective, but their scope differs. Medically is the broadest — it covers anything linked to the practice of medicine, including doctors, hospitals, treatment, and the body's condition ('medically stable', 'medically necessary'). Clinically is narrower: it refers to observable signs and hospital or laboratory settings ('clinically depressed', 'clinically proven'). Therapeutically focuses on the healing effects of a treatment itself ('therapeutically effective', 'therapeutically beneficial'). For general use, choose medically; for a scientific or diagnostic context, choose clinically; for outcomes of a specific therapy, choose therapeutically.

medically ↗clinically ↗therapeutically ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • medically fit
  • medically unfit
  • medically necessary
  • medically stable
  • medically significant
  • medically supervised
  • medically serious
  • medically indicated
  • medically treatable

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed from the adjective 'medical' (which came via French from the Latin 'medicus', meaning 'physician' or 'healer') plus the adverb-forming suffix '-ly'. The word entered English in the early 1600s.