capsule
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A pill in the form of a small rounded gelatinous container with medicine inside.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kapsuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkæpsəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
pharmacy
A pill in the form of a small rounded gelatinous container with medicine inside
pharmacy
A small container containing a dose of medicine.
One of the very small rooms for guests in a capsule hotel.
astronautics
A detachable part of a rocket or spacecraft (usually in the nose) containing the crew's living space.
A small, shallow evaporating dish, usually of porcelain.
botany
A type of simple, dehiscent, dry fruit (seed-case) produced by many species of flowering plants, such as poppy, lily, orchid, willow and cotton.
verb
transitive
To encapsulate or summarize.
transitive
To form (medicine, etc.) into capsules.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A pill in the form of a small rounded gelatinous container with medicine inside
Used this way, capsule is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. This is a clinical use: it belongs to medical description, where it is factual rather than emotive.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Medicine/healthcare
- Science
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use capsule
- “She took a daily vitamin capsule for her overall health.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A capsule divided into two cells or compartments.
Thin double membrane surrounding the glomerulus of a nephron.
Thin double membrane surrounding the glomerulus of a nephron.
A tenuous mesoblastic membrane surrounding the lens of the eye.
A soporific drug in the form of a pill (or tablet or capsule).
A spacecraft designed to transport people and support human life in outer space.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.