alternative medicine

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

alˈter•na•tive ˈmed•i•cine, n. [uncountable]

1. Medicine, Holistic Therapy health care and treatments, including traditional Chinese medicine and folk medicine, that try to avoid the use of surgery and drugs.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

alter′native med′icine, 

1. Medicine, Holistic Therapy health care and treatment practices, including traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic, folk medicine, and naturopathy, that minimize or eschew the use of surgery and drugs.

alter′native med′icine, 

1. Medicine, Holistic Therapy health care and treatment practices, including traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic, folk medicine, and naturopathy, that minimize or eschew the use of surgery and drugs.
• 1980–85

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

alternative medicine noun

1. another name for complementary medicine
   See also holism2