noun · academic
placebo
UK/pləˈsiːbəʊ/US/pləˈsiːboʊ/pla·CE·bo
an inactive substance given to a control group in clinical trials to compare effects
Examples
“Participants in the control group were given a placebo.”
“The placebo effect can make people report feeling better even without active treatment.”
“A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is the gold standard for testing new drugs.”
Band 8 sentence
“In the trial the control group received a placebo, and the investigators were surprised by the size of the placebo response.”
Collocations
- placebo-controlled trial
- placebo effect
Word family
Common mistakes
fake drug→placebo
placebo effect (dùng khi muốn nói chính thuốc)→placebo
Say it for a higher band
5dummy drug→6fake drug→7+placebo
Synonyms
dummy drug
Easily confused
placebo effect
“Many participants reported improvements due to the placebo effect rather than the treatment itself.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Science & Research
Learn it with its set