rest-cure: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowDated/Historical, Literary, Sometimes Ironic
Quick answer
What does “rest-cure” mean?
A treatment, historically for mental or nervous conditions, involving an extended period of enforced rest and isolation.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A treatment, historically for mental or nervous conditions, involving an extended period of enforced rest and isolation.
Any extended period of rest taken to recover from stress, overwork, or mild illness; used often with a critical or ironic tone to imply excessive or imposed inactivity.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. The term is equally archaic in both dialects.
Connotations
Both share the same historical and critical connotations. The practice is often referenced in critiques of early psychiatry.
Frequency
Extremely rare in contemporary active use in both regions, appearing mainly in historical or literary analysis.
Grammar
How to Use “rest-cure” in a Sentence
to be on a rest-cureto send someone for a rest-cureto prescribe a rest-cure (for someone)to undergo a rest-cureVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “rest-cure” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- [Not standard; the word is a noun. One might 'rest-cure' someone historically, but this is non-standard verbing.]
American English
- [Not standard; the word is a noun.]
adverb
British English
- [Not applicable; no adverbial form.]
American English
- [Not applicable; no adverbial form.]
adjective
British English
- The rest-cure regimen was meticulously detailed.
- She was in a rest-cure facility in the Alps.
American English
- The rest-cure approach was popularized by Dr. Mitchell.
- He wrote about the rest-cure era in psychiatry.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in historical, literary, gender, or medical history papers to describe a specific past treatment.
Everyday
Extremely rare. Might be used humorously or ironically ('My boss thinks a week off is a rest-cure for burnout').
Technical
Obsolete in modern clinical psychology/psychiatry. Only appears in historical context.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “rest-cure”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “rest-cure”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “rest-cure”
- Using it as a synonym for a modern relaxing holiday.
- Spelling it as one word ('restcure') or two words without a hyphen ('rest cure' is an accepted variant, but 'rest-cure' is the standard dictionary form for the specific treatment).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A holiday is voluntary leisure. A rest-cure was a prescribed medical treatment involving enforced, often strict, rest and isolation, now considered historically specific and largely obsolete.
It is not standard in modern English. Historically, one might say a doctor 'rest-cured' a patient, but the noun form is standard.
It is associated with discredited, paternalistic medical practices that pathologised normal emotions (particularly in women) and prescribed passivity as a cure, often worsening the patient's mental state.
Yes, 'rest cure' is a common variant spelling, especially in open form. However, major dictionaries often list 'rest-cure' with a hyphen as the primary form for the specific historical treatment.
A treatment, historically for mental or nervous conditions, involving an extended period of enforced rest and isolation.
Rest-cure is usually dated/historical, literary, sometimes ironic in register.
Rest-cure: in British English it is pronounced /ˈrɛst ˌkjʊə/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈrɛst ˌkjʊr/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[None specific to the compound term]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a historical RESTaurant that only served CURE-atives (medicine) and forced patrons to lie in bed – a 'REST-CURE' establishment.
Conceptual Metaphor
ILLNESS IS WEAKNESS / TREATMENT IS QUIESCENCE (an inactive, passive state is the cure).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the term 'rest-cure' MOST accurately used today?