Adjective
some people find a glass of wine to be a civilized and sedative addition to an evening meal Noun
The patient was given a powerful sedative.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Roget had spent the previous four years since his graduation taking additional courses and working odd jobs, even volunteering in the spring of 1799 as a test subject at the Pneumatic Institution in Clifton, England, for a trial of the sedative nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas.—Claudia Kalb, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Apr. 2021 Her attorney also listed buspirone (an antianxiety drug), hydroxyzine (an antihistamine that is traditionally used for anxiety or insomina), and Ambien (a sedative-hypnotic).—Jessica Bartlett, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Feb. 2023 See all Example Sentences for sedative
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sedative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, alleviating pain, from Middle French sedatif, from Medieval Latin sedativus, from Latin sedatus
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