thalidomide

American  

[thuh-lid-uh-mahyd] / θəˈlɪd əˌmaɪd /

noun

1. a crystalline, slightly water-soluble solid, C 13 H 10 N 2 O 4 , formerly used as a sedative: if taken during pregnancy, it may cause severe abnormalities in the limbs of the fetus.

---

thalidomide British  

/ θəˈlɪdəˌmaɪd /

noun

1. 1. a synthetic drug formerly used as a sedative and hypnotic but withdrawn from the market when found to cause abnormalities in developing fetuses. Formula: C 13 H 10 N 2 O 4

   2. ( as modifier )

      a thalidomide baby

---

thalidomide Scientific  

/ thə-lĭd′ə-mīd′ /

1. A drug used to treat leprosy. It was previously prescribed to treat nausea during early pregnancy, but was found to cause severe birth defects, including stunting or absence of the limbs. Chemical formula: C ₁₃ H ₁₀ N ₂ O ₄ .

---

thalidomide Cultural  

1. A sedative drug that was developed and used in Europe in the 1960s. Thalidomide was taken off the market when it became evident that it caused severe birth defects in babies born to women who had used the drug during pregnancy.

---

Discover More

References to thalidomide are often made when illustrating the dangers of using drugs whose side effects are not well known.

Etymology

Origin of thalidomide

1955–60; (ph)thal(im)ido(glutari)mide, equivalent to phthalimide ( phthal(ic) + imide ) + -o- + glutarimide ( glut(en) + (tart)ar(ic) + imide )

Example Sentences

A well-known example is thalidomide, a drug from the 1950s.

From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026

The approach was abandoned due to a significant misunderstanding of the thalidomide tragedy—when thousands of babies outside the U.S. were born with severe birth defects.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

“There was no system for properly evaluating the safety of medicines, and the terrible cruelty of thalidomide, is that far from being safe, just one dose was enough to cause devastating harm,” Albanese said.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 28, 2023

Australia's prime minister has given a national apology to survivors of the thalidomide scandal and their families.

From BBC • Nov. 28, 2023

As Scott put it, Daley's embarrassed resignation was unavoidable collateral damage in stopping the approval of a drug as poten- tially dangerous as thalidomide.

From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Schwartau, Winn