non-operative

/ˌnɒnˈɒp.ər.ə.tɪv/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌnɑːnˈɑː.pɚ.ə.t̬ɪv/ (ame, ipa)

non-operative — adjective

1. describes a medical treatment, plan, or patient where the doctors choose not to

1.形容詞C1
釋義

describes a medical treatment, plan, or patient where the doctors choose not to use surgery, often using medicine, rest, or other gentler care instead.

例句

Putri's doctor recommended a non-operative approach for her shoulder injury, starting with rest and physiotherapy.

attributive: non-operative + approach for managing injury

After reviewing the scans, the surgeon decided that Liang was a good candidate for non-operative care.

collocation: non-operative care

同義詞
  • nonsurgical

    near-identical meaning; more common in American medical writing

  • conservative

    broader — any cautious, less invasive medical approach, not only avoiding surgery

反義詞
  • surgical

    describes treatment that does involve an operation

  • operative

    directly opposite — involving or relating to a surgical operation

文法句型

non-operative + treatment/management/approach

用法筆記

Almost always used attributively before nouns like 'treatment', 'management', 'approach', 'care', or 'plan'. Typical in medical writing and clinical conversation; rare in everyday speech, where 'without surgery' is more common.

常見錯誤

❌The doctor said the patient was non-operative.
✅The doctor said the treatment was non-operative.
💡the adjective normally describes the treatment or plan, not the patient themselves.