nociceptive

adjective

no·​ci·​cep·​tive ˌnō-si-ˈsep-tiv 

1

of a stimulus : painful, injurious

2

: of, induced by, or responding to a nociceptive stimulus

nociceptive pain

a nociceptive nerve pathway

Examples of nociceptive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Especially those parts of the brain associated with receiving nociceptive information. — Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025

Many chronic pain conditions actually involve a combination of all three of these phenomena – nociceptive, neuropathic and nociplastic pain – which adds to the difficulty of diagnosis and treatment. — Rachael Rzasa Lynn, The Conversation, 25 July 2024

Specific substances in the body, such as prostaglandins (a group of lipid compounds with hormone-like effects), can also lower nociceptive thresholds. — Jennifer Chesak, Verywell Health, 24 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin nocēre "to injure, harm" + -i- + -ceptive (in receptive) — more at noxious

Note: Term probably introduced by the British physiologist Charles Scott Sherrington (1857-1952) in several publications in 1904, as "Correlation of Reflexes and the Principle of the Common Path" (opening address to a meeting of the British Association, Section I, Physiology), Nature, vol. 70, no. 1819 (September 8, 1904), p. 463.

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nociceptive

• contraceptive
• deceptive
• perceptive
• receptive
• proprioceptive

Medical Definition

nociceptive

adjective

no·​ci·​cep·​tive ˌnō-si-ˈsep-tiv 

1

of a stimulus : painful, injurious

2

: of, induced by, or responding to a nociceptive stimulus

—used especially of receptors or protective reflexes