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the good doctor

the good doctor

14 5.6
A doctor who people respect and trust
  • noun
translation icon : buen médico
  • Everyone in town respects the good doctor for his dedication to helping others.
  • like the good doctor
  • the good doctor wants
  • the good doctor, said

Examples

Synonyms

doctor
vsthe good doctor
1.0

A person who treats sick or injured people

is more respectful and affectionate than this neutral common term
doc
vsthe good doctor
  • Informal
7.8

A person who treats sick or injured people

is more respectful and admiring than this casual familiar form
physician
vsthe good doctor
  • Specialized
674 3.8

A doctor who finds what is wrong and treats sick or injured people

is more personal and admiring than this formal clinical term
MD
vsthe good doctor
13 3.5

A doctor qualified to treat patients

is more personal and admiring than this technical or degree label
medical man
vsthe good doctor
  • Archaic
3 7.7

A man who is a doctor often appears in old books or stories

is respectful but avoids the old gendered or historic tone
phys
vsthe good doctor
  • Informal
2 9.8

A doctor who treats people

is more respectful and affectionate than this clipped informal short form
medico
vsthe good doctor
  • UK
1 8.3

A doctor who treats sick or hurt people

is more respectful and affectionate rather than colloquial or slangy
Dr.
vsthe good doctor
  • US
1.0

A person who is trained to treat people when they are sick

is a respectful, admiring form rather than a neutral formal title

How Respected

eminent
  • Formal
27 5.6
distinguished
  • Formal
144 4.8
the good doctor
14 5.6
doctor
1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

the + good + doctor

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from the constituents: 'good' (positive quality) modifies 'doctor' (physician), and the definite article 'the' picks out a specific individual, so a learner who knows the words will infer a respected or admired physician. This adjectival evaluative pattern is cross-linguistically common (e.g. 'el buen doctor', 'le bon docteur'), making it readily comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The good doctor comes from a simple town scene: people who were helped called a doctor good to mean he was kind and skilled, and doctor is the healer. So the good doctor is a polite, warm way to call a doctor, showing 'respect' or 'affection'.