If you say that something is not a panaceafor a particular set of problems, you mean that it will not solve all those problems.
The proposal is not a panacea for Britain's economic problems. [+ for]
Western aid may help but will not be a panacea.
Synonyms: cure-all, elixir, nostrum, heal-all More Synonyms of panacea
panacea in British English
(ˌpænəˈsɪə)
noun
a remedy for all diseases or ills
Derived forms
panacean (ˌpanaˈcean)
adjective
Word origin
C16: via Latin from Greek panakeia healing everything, from pan all + akos remedy
panacea in American English
(ˌpænəˈsiə)
noun
a supposed remedy or medicine for all diseases or ills; cure-all
Derived forms
panacean (ˌpanaˈcean)
adjective
Word origin
L < Gr panakeia < panakēs, healing all < pan, all (see pan-) + akos, healing, medicine < ? IE base *yēk-, to cure > prob. Welsh iach, healthy, OIr hīcc, cure
Examples of 'panacea' in a sentence
panacea
Cricket was both the problem and the panacea.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
We have to be careful about just being seen to be the sort of universal panacea.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
For him it was a universal panacea.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It is not a panacea for existing ills.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Guaranteed as a panacea for all ills?
Paige, Frances The Glasgow Girls (1994)
Craft is not a panacea for modern ills.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Yet the treaty is by no means a panacea.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But common security is no panacea, and problems can be identified with it.
McInnes, Colin NATO's Changing Strategic Agenda (1990)
The problem in India is similar with antibiotics perceived as a universal panacea.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But while there is no single panacea, there is radical action we can take now.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Of course, cash is by no means a panacea.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
While it cannot offer a panacea, it can certainly move the global economy in the right direction.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
China may be a panacea to this company, but there are still lots of basics to sort out.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The image of self-esteem as a universal panacea has been further undermined by research suggesting that too much of it can be a bad thing.
Paul Martin MAKING HAPPY PEOPLE (2005)
In other languages
panacea
British English: panacea NOUN
If you say that something is not a panacea for a particular set of problems, you mean that it will not solve all those problems.
Trade is not a panacea for the world's economic or social ills.
American English: panacea
Brazilian Portuguese: panaceia
Chinese: 万灵丹
European Spanish: panacea
French: panacée
German: Allheilmittel
Italian: panacea
Japanese: 万能薬
Korean: 만병통치약
European Portuguese: panaceia
Latin American Spanish: panacea
(noun)
Definition
a remedy for all diseases or problems
Foreign aid shouldn't always be a panacea for natural disasters; long-term preventative measures must be developed
Synonyms
cure-all
He was the first physician to use leeches as a cure-all.
elixir
a magical elixir of eternal youth
nostrum
Supermarket shelves are lined with nostrums claiming to alleviate flu symptoms.
heal-all
sovereign remedy
universal cure
catholicon
Additional synonyms
in the sense of elixir
Definition
an imaginary substance that is supposed to be capable of prolonging life and changing base metals into gold
a magical elixir of eternal youth
Synonyms
panacea,
cure-all,
nostrum,
sovereign remedy
in the sense of nostrum
Definition
a quack medicine
Supermarket shelves are lined with nostrums claiming to alleviate flu symptoms.