General Englishneutralformal
- A respectful or affectionate reference to a physician, surgeon, or medical practitioner, often implying competence or esteem.
General Englishinformalsarcastic
- A tongue-in-cheek or ironic reference to someone reputed to be a doctor or to act in a medically authoritative way, often suggesting doubt about their abilities or motives.
General Englishliterarycolloquial
- A conventional epithet used in narrative or dialogue to denote a particular doctor known to the speaker or community.