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Showing results for postoperative. Search instead for post-operative.
Synonyms

postoperative

American  
[pohst-op-er-uh-tiv, -uh-rey-tiv, -op-ruh-tiv] / poʊstˈɒp ər ə tɪv, -əˌreɪ tɪv, -ˈɒp rə tɪv /

adjective

  1. occurring after a surgical operation.

postoperative British  
/ pəʊstˈɒpərətɪv, -ˈɒprətɪv /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or occurring in the period following a surgical operation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • postoperatively adverb

Etymology

Origin of postoperative

First recorded in 1885–90; post- + operative

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Otamendi Hospital said she underwent laparoscopic surgery, which confirmed the diagnosis of "appendicitis with localized peritonitis," and that she was recovering "without postoperative complications".

From Barron's • Dec. 21, 2025

That was called postoperative depression, and it was normal, they assured her.

From Slate • May 2, 2025

Still, recurrences were equally common in both groups, indicating that postoperative treatment seems sufficient to eliminate remaining tumour cells.

From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2024

However, a postoperative note in the patient’s chart made it seem as though Mowlavi had examined her in person, according to the document.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2024

He could come through other people’s tonsilectomies without suffering any postoperative distress, and even endure their hernias and hemorrhoids with only mild nausea and revulsion.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.