tranquilizer

noun

tran·​quil·​iz·​er ˈtraŋ-kwə-ˌlī-zər 

ˈtran-

variants or less commonly tranquillizer

1

: a drug used to reduce mental disturbance (such as anxiety and tension) compare antipsychotic

2

: one that tranquilizes

Examples of tranquilizer in a Sentence

a patient who is on tranquilizers

Recent Examples on the Web

Other monkeys, including some of the larger and more dominant macaques, had to be subdued with tranquilizer darts before they could be captured. — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026

The worrisome drug withdrawal popping up in jails A powerful tranquilizer has started to accompany fentanyl in the country’s illicit opioid supply, and jails are struggling to handle the drug’s excruciating, complicated withdrawal symptoms. — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 26 June 2026

When Krem takes off in Kara’s spacecraft, a rusted hulk that’s like an interplanetary RV, and shoots her beloved dog Krypto with a lethal tranquilizer that will result in agonizing death in three days, Kara joins Ruthye on her revenge quest. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2026

In the 1950s and ’60s, the tranquilizer Miltown was widely prescribed to housewives for anxiety and stress. — Sarah Levy, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for tranquilizer

• advertiser
• analyser
• analyzer
• appetizer
• atomizer
• breathalyzer
• colonizer
• digitizer
• equalizer
• fertilizer
• localizer
• merchandiser

Kids Definition

tranquilizer

noun

tran·​quil·​iz·​er

variants also tranquillizer

ˈtraŋ-kwə-ˌlī-zər 

ˈtran-

: one that tranquilizes

especially : a drug used to reduce anxiety and nervous tension

Medical Definition

tranquilizer

noun

tran·​quil·​iz·​er

variants or chiefly British tranquillizer or tranquilliser

-ˌlī-zər 

: a drug used to reduce mental disturbance (as anxiety and tension) see antipsychotic