1
as in sedative
something (as a drug) that relieves pain
the dentist waited until the anesthetic took effect
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in narcotic
something that soothes, calms, or induces passivity or a sense of security
he used total immersion in his job as an anesthetic for the empty shell that his marriage had become
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in analgesic
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of anesthetic
Marni Rose McFall Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025
Contributing conditions included the administration of multiple anesthetic medications.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 30 May 2025
New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2025
Surprisingly, scientists only recently learned how anesthetics trigger unconsciousness.
—Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anesthetic
Noun
The newspaper, citing unnamed sources, said that Musk had sparked concerns about his alleged regular use of multiple drugs, including anesthetic ketamine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms.
—Marni Rose McFall Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025
Contributing conditions included the administration of multiple anesthetic medications.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 30 May 2025
Adjective
It is implanted in the left side of the neck via a minimally invasive outpatient procedure, under anesthetic.
—New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2025
Surprisingly, scientists only recently learned how anesthetics trigger unconsciousness.
—Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anesthetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anesthetic
Noun
-
At higher doses, kratom can be used as a sedative and potentially cause psychosis.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Yet, unlike cortisol, oxytocin will have an effect on your body akin to that of a sedative.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The woman was booked into the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on felony charges related to narcotics sales and weapons violations, as well as child endangerment, the sheriff’s office said.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Travis Mello and Niles Mello will also be charged with narcotics offenses and Conspiracy to Violate Controlled Substance Act.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The draft, titled Development of Non-Opioid Analgesics for Chronic Pain, outlines steps to creating and seeking alternative chronic pain treatments amid the opioid epidemic, specifically the development of non-opioid analgesic products.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
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An analgesic medication that works in the brain to reduce mild to moderate pain by increasing the body’s pain threshold and changing the way the body senses pain.—
Dr. Sanjay Gupta,
CNN Money,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Jacintha, a horseback rider, was familiar with ketamine as a horse tranquilizer but had never heard of it as a last-stop mental health treatment for treatment-resistant patients like Lucy, who was diagnosed with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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The program tests for various drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and other opioids, as well as xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that authorities have warned is increasingly being found mixed in with other drugs.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The drink is known for its mild euphoria and depressant effects.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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These chemicals can be even more potent than other opiates and produce comparable hallucinogenic effects, increasing the desirability of the cut fentanyl on the market.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
4 Sep. 2025
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Boston Magazine reported that during her training she was ultimately dismissed for administering opiates without a doctor’s order and leaving her shift early.—
Christina Coulter,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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For a generation whose existence is mostly, if not entirely, lived through devices, peering through the hypnotic glow of their phone screens at a picture-in-picture playback of the events unfolding in front of them is an extension, or even an evolution, of the experience.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
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The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The text, which reads as though it was written by AI, is at times anodyne, at times confusing, but always free of specifics.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The kitchen needs to turn out three meals a day that are creative enough to draw in finicky locals, anodyne enough to satisfy an international clientele, and sturdy enough to survive the room-service gauntlet.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anesthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anesthetic. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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