anti-inflammatory
Meaning of anti-inflammatory: Anti-inflammatory describes a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation, the body's protective but sometimes damaging response to injury or irritation.
Definition of anti-inflammatory
Anti-inflammatory describes a medication, substance, or treatment that reduces inflammation, the body's response to injury, infection, or irritation that typically produces redness, swelling, warmth, and pain. Anti-inflammatory agents work through different mechanisms depending on the type, but they generally act to lower the activity of the chemical signals and cells that drive this response.
Common anti-inflammatory medications include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, often used for pain and swelling related to injury or arthritis, and corticosteroids, which have a broader and generally stronger anti-inflammatory effect used for a wider range of inflammatory conditions. Each category carries its own set of potential effects and considerations.
Because inflammation is a normal and often protective response, anti-inflammatory treatment aims to reduce excessive or harmful inflammation rather than to eliminate the body's inflammatory response altogether.
Used in a sentence
An anti-inflammatory medication was recommended to help manage the joint swelling.
Good to know
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids are both anti-inflammatory but act through different mechanisms and carry different patterns of potential effects, so the two categories are not interchangeable.
Word origin
Where “anti-inflammatory” comes from
Formed from anti- (Greek, meaning "against") and inflammatory, from Latin inflammare, meaning "to set on fire."