Dictionary

postoperative

adjective post·op·er·a·tive \ˌpōst-ˈä-p(ə-)rə-tiv, -pə-ˌrā-\

: happening after an operation

: having had an operation recently

Full Definition of POSTOPERATIVE

: following a surgical operation <postoperative care>

: having recently undergone a surgical operation <a postoperative patient>

— post·op·er·a·tive·ly adverb

See postoperative defined for English-language learners

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use: circa 1890

Medical Dictionary

adjective post·op·er·a·tive \ˈpōst-ˈäp-(ə-)rət-iv\

: relating to, occurring in, or being the period following a surgical operation <postoperative care>

: having recently undergone a surgical operation <a postoperative patient>

—post·op·er·a·tive·ly adverb

Next Word in the Dictionary: postorbitalPrevious Word in the Dictionary: post–opAll Words Near: postoperative

What made you want to look up postoperative? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Put-downs with flair

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

Test your vocab with our fun, fast game

Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears