an·es·thet·ic
ˌa-nəs-ˈthe-tik 
1
: of, relating to, or capable of producing anesthesia
2
: lacking awareness or sensitivity
was anesthetic to their feelings
1
: a substance that produces anesthesia
2
: something that brings relief : palliative
Synonyms
Examples of anesthetic in a Sentence
Noun
The doctor gave him the stitches without an anesthetic.
the dentist waited until the anesthetic took effect
Recent Examples on the Web
Delaney Nothaft, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024
Perry died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, according to the autopsy report filed by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024
Ketamine is known as a dissociative anesthetic or dissociative hallucinogen.
—Delaney Nothaft, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
So far, Chiller said, the authorities there are skeptical that the source of the infection is the anesthetic medicine itself.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 16 June 2023
Matthew Perry died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, according to an autopsy released Friday by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Dec. 2023
The rest received either salt water or the drug midazolam, a benzodiazepine like Xanax that is also used as an anesthetic agent.
—C. Michael White, The Conversation, 8 Nov. 2023
In 2019, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services made non-opioid options a separate payment for Medicare patients treated at ambulatory surgery centers, there was a 120% increase in the use of the anesthetic Exparel in the centers over the course of a year, Fox said.
—Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 11 Sep. 2023
One straightforward theory is that ketamine has anesthetic and sedative properties — the perfect treatment for withdrawal.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 8 May 2023
Dylan Wickman, The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024
The madcap champion of motormouth comedies seemingly veers weirdly off-course in dramatizing the career of the mid-nineteenth-century dentist named William Morton (played by the gruffly folksy Joel McCrea), who, despite opposition from doctors, pioneered the use of ether as an anesthetic.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024
With local anesthetic, the doctor is constantly distracted by the patient moving or needing more local anesthetic, etc., and can potentially lose focus on the procedure at hand.
—Meirav Devash, Allure, 29 Feb. 2024
In recent years, ketamine — a powerful anesthetic — has drawn more attention as a potential treatment for people seeking alternative therapies for depression, anxiety and other conditions.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024
It is approved as a medical product as an injectable, short-acting anesthetic for use in humans and animals, the DEA says, and as a nasal spray to help treat depression.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
The three-drug combination involves, firstly, an anesthetic or sedative, then a drug to paralyze the prisoner and, lastly, a drug to stop the heart, the DPIC said.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024
These include anesthetics and anesthesia machines, oxygen cylinders, ventilators and water filtration systems.
—Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
Medicine has also become in short supply, and doctors report having to amputate limbs that could have been savable and being forced to perform surgeries on patients without anesthetics.
—Anna Gordon, Time, 13 Dec. 2023
Adjective
It is known as a dissociative anesthetic or dissociative hallucinogen.
—Delaney Nothaft, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024
Perry died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, according to the autopsy report filed by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024
Ketamine is known as a dissociative anesthetic or dissociative hallucinogen.
—Delaney Nothaft, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
So far, Chiller said, the authorities there are skeptical that the source of the infection is the anesthetic medicine itself.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 16 June 2023
Matthew Perry died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, according to an autopsy released Friday by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Dec. 2023
The rest received either salt water or the drug midazolam, a benzodiazepine like Xanax that is also used as an anesthetic agent.
—C. Michael White, The Conversation, 8 Nov. 2023
In 2019, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services made non-opioid options a separate payment for Medicare patients treated at ambulatory surgery centers, there was a 120% increase in the use of the anesthetic Exparel in the centers over the course of a year, Fox said.
—Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 11 Sep. 2023
One straightforward theory is that ketamine has anesthetic and sedative properties — the perfect treatment for withdrawal.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 8 May 2023
Noun
The drug was administered to American soldiers during the war as a field anesthetic.
—Dylan Wickman, The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024
The madcap champion of motormouth comedies seemingly veers weirdly off-course in dramatizing the career of the mid-nineteenth-century dentist named William Morton (played by the gruffly folksy Joel McCrea), who, despite opposition from doctors, pioneered the use of ether as an anesthetic.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024
With local anesthetic, the doctor is constantly distracted by the patient moving or needing more local anesthetic, etc., and can potentially lose focus on the procedure at hand.
—Meirav Devash, Allure, 29 Feb. 2024
In recent years, ketamine — a powerful anesthetic — has drawn more attention as a potential treatment for people seeking alternative therapies for depression, anxiety and other conditions.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024
It is approved as a medical product as an injectable, short-acting anesthetic for use in humans and animals, the DEA says, and as a nasal spray to help treat depression.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
The three-drug combination involves, firstly, an anesthetic or sedative, then a drug to paralyze the prisoner and, lastly, a drug to stop the heart, the DPIC said.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024
These include anesthetics and anesthesia machines, oxygen cylinders, ventilators and water filtration systems.
—Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
Medicine has also become in short supply, and doctors report having to amputate limbs that could have been savable and being forced to perform surgeries on patients without anesthetics.
—Anna Gordon, Time, 13 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anesthetic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near anesthetic
Cite this Entry
“Anesthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anesthetic. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
anesthetic
1 of 2 adjective
an·es·thet·ic
ˌan-əs-ˈthet-ik
: of, relating to, or capable of producing anesthesia
anesthetic
2 of 2 noun
: a substance that produces anesthesia in part or all of the body
Medical Definition
anesthetic
1 of 2 adjective
an·es·thet·ic
variants
or chiefly British anaesthetic
1
: capable of producing anesthesia
anesthetic agents
2
: of, relating to, or caused by anesthesia
an anesthetic effect
anesthetic symptoms
anesthetic
2 of 2 noun
variants
or chiefly British anaesthetic
: a substance that produces anesthesia
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