Healing — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun adjective /ˈhēl/ (verb) /ˌself-ˈhē-liŋ/ (adjective)

Meaning & Definition of Healing

Healing (verb)

  1. to make free from injury or disease, to make sound or whole
  2. to make well again, to restore to health
  3. to cause (an undesirable condition) to be overcome, mend

Healing (noun)

  1. a method of treating diseases by prayer and exercise of faith in God
  2. the act or process of healing oneself or itself

Healing (adjective)

  1. acting or serving to heal or repair oneself or itself
  2. involving or promoting recovery from injury or disease
  3. able to repair physical damage without outside agency

Healing (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the process or period of gradually regaining one's health and strength

    "the long period of healing following the operation"

    similar: comeback, convalescence, mending, rally, recovery, recuperation, rehab, rehabilitation, snapback
    related: resuscitation, revival, survival
    near: decline, degeneration, deterioration, fading, failing, languishing, sinking, wasting (away), weakening, wilting, withering, worsening, regression, relapse

Healing (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. tending to cure disease or restore health

    "the native peoples of South America recognized the healing powers of the dried bark of the cinchona tree, formerly used as a specific in malaria"

    similar: curative, medicinal, officinal, remedial, restorative, therapeutic
    related: healthful, healthy, salubrious, salutary, sanative, wholesome, alleviative, corrective, tonic
    near: insalubrious, noisome, noxious, unhealthful, unhealthy, unwholesome, deleterious, injurious, pernicious, infectious, poisonous, toxic, adverse, bad, baleful, baneful, damaging, detrimental, harmful, hurtful, ill, insanitary, unhygienic, unsanitary

Healing (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to restore to a healthy condition

    "a low-fat vegetarian diet, moderate exercise, and stress management help heal a diseased heart"

    "heal the sick"

    similar: curing, fixing, mending, rehabbing, rehabilitating, setting up
    related: attending (to), caring (for), doctoring, medicating, ministering (to), nursing, physicking, treating, fortifying, rejuvenating, renewing, resuscitating, revitalizing, reviving, alleviating, relieving, remedying, repairing
    near: crippling, damaging, disabling, harming, hurting, impairing, injuring, lacerating, laming, maiming, mangling, mutilating, wounding, afflicting, ailing, debilitating, enervating, enfeebling, laying up, sapping, sickening, wasting, weakening

  2. to become healthy and strong again after illness or weakness

    "most of the soldiers could go home while they were still healing from their wounds"

    similar: coming back, convalescing, gaining, mending, pulling round (chiefly British), rallying, recouping, recovering, recuperating, snapping back
    related: coming around, coming round, coming to, improving, picking up, reviving, cheering (up), perking (up), pulling through, surviving, recruiting
    near: ailing, collapsing, coming down, sickening, declining, degenerating, deteriorating, fading, failing, languishing, sinking, wasting (away), weakening, wilting, withering, worsening, regressing, relapsing

  3. to bring about recovery from

    "time heals all wounds, even those of the heart"

    similar: curing, mending, remedying
    related: allaying, alleviating, assuaging, relieving, palliating, salving, soothing, easing, lightening, moderating, tempering, doctoring, nursing, medicating, treating, diagnosing
    near: aggravating, worsening, misdiagnosing, overdiagnosing, underdiagnosing

Related Entry: Heal (verb)

Heal is a different word from Healing. The synonyms below are for heal, not for healing.

  1. to restore to a healthy condition

    "a low-fat vegetarian diet, moderate exercise, and stress management help heal a diseased heart"

    "heal the sick"

    similar: cure, fix, mend, rehab, rehabilitate, set up
    related: attend (to), care (for), doctor, medicate, minister (to), nurse, physic, treat, fortify, rejuvenate, renew, resuscitate, revitalize, revive, alleviate, relieve, remedy, repair
    near: cripple, damage, disable, harm, hurt, impair, injure, lacerate, lame, maim, mangle, mutilate, wound, afflict, ail, debilitate, enervate, enfeeble, lay up, sap, sicken, waste, weaken

  2. to become healthy and strong again after illness or weakness

    "most of the soldiers could go home while they were still healing from their wounds"

    similar: come back, convalesce, gain, mend, pull round (chiefly British), rally, recoup, recover, recuperate, snap back
    related: come around, come round, come to, improve, pick up, revive, cheer (up), perk (up), pull through, survive, recruit
    near: ail, collapse, come down, sicken, decline, degenerate, deteriorate, fade, fail, languish, sink, waste (away), weaken, wilt, wither, worsen, regress, relapse

  3. to bring about recovery from

    "time heals all wounds, even those of the heart"

    similar: cure, mend, remedy
    related: allay, alleviate, assuage, relieve, palliate, salve, soothe, ease, lighten, moderate, temper, doctor, nurse, medicate, treat, diagnose
    near: aggravate, worsen, misdiagnose, overdiagnose, underdiagnose

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Healing

The most common words with a similar meaning to Healing:

Chiefly British: pulling round
comeback, convalescence, mending, rally, recovery, recuperation, rehab, rehabilitation, snapback, curative, medicinal, officinal, remedial, restorative, therapeutic, curing, fixing, rehabbing, rehabilitating, setting up, coming back, convalescing, gaining, rallying, recouping, recovering, recuperating, snapping back, remedying

Related Words for Healing

resuscitation, revival, survival, healthful, healthy, salubrious, salutary, sanative, wholesome, alleviative, corrective, tonic, attending (to), caring (for), doctoring, medicating, ministering (to), nursing, physicking, treating, fortifying, rejuvenating, renewing, resuscitating, revitalizing, reviving, alleviating, relieving, repairing, coming around

Near Antonyms of Healing

decline, degeneration, deterioration, fading, failing, languishing, sinking, wasting (away), weakening, wilting, withering, worsening, regression, relapse, insalubrious, noisome, noxious, unhealthful, unhealthy, unwholesome, deleterious, injurious, pernicious, infectious, poisonous, toxic, adverse, bad, baleful, baneful

Word Forms of Healing

Inflections: healed, heals

Derived words: faith healer (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Healing

Middle English helen, from Old English hǣlan; akin to Old High German heilen to heal, Old English hāl whole whole

First known use: before 12th centuryt

Words & Phrases Containing Healing

faith healing, self-healing

Frequently Asked Questions about Healing

What does "Healing" mean?

"Healing" means to make free from injury or disease, to make sound or whole. As an a verb, a noun and an adjective, it is defined as: to make free from injury or disease, to make sound or whole. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Healing"?

Other words for "Healing" include comeback, convalescence, mending, rally, recovery, recuperation, rehab and rehabilitation. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Healing" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Healing"?

There are 79 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Healing". Common alternatives include comeback, convalescence, mending, rally, recovery, recuperation, rehab, rehabilitation, snapback and curative.

How do you use "Healing" in a sentence?

Examples of "Healing" in a sentence: "the long period of healing following the operation"; "the native peoples of South America recognized the healing powers of the dried bark of the cinchona tree, formerly used as a specific in malaria"; "a low-fat vegetarian diet, moderate exercise, and stress management help heal a diseased heart".

Is "Healing" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Healing" can be used as a verb, a noun and an adjective, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Healing"?

"Healing" is pronounced /ˈhēl/ as a verb and /ˌself-ˈhē-liŋ/ as an adjective.

What is the origin of the word "Healing"?

"Healing" comes from Middle English helen, from Old English hǣlan; akin to Old High German heilen to heal, Old English hāl whole whole. First known use: before 12th centuryt.

What is another word for "Healing" meaning "the process or period of gradually regaining one's health and strength"?

When "Healing" (noun) means the process or period of gradually regaining one's health and strength, synonyms include comeback, convalescence, mending, rally, recovery and recuperation.