antidepressant

adjective

an·ti·de·pres·sant | \ -di-ˈpre-sᵊnt

Definition of antidepressant

(Entry 1 of 2)

: used or tending to relieve or prevent depression antidepressant drugs

antidepressant

noun

Definition of antidepressant (Entry 2 of 2)

: an antidepressant drug — see ssri, tricyclic antidepressant

Examples of antidepressant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first. — Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018 There’s every reason to think that tinkering with that receptor system could have antidepressant effects, and it’s never been systematically manipulated in that way. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "I Hacked My Body So You Don't Have To," 25 June 2018 In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first. — Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018 In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first. — Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018 In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first. — Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018 In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first. — Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018 In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first. — Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018 In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first. — Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Another recent study focused on treatment: not just any treatment but bupropion, an antidepressant often used in smoking cessation. — Benedict Carey, New York Times, "Endless Gaming May Be a Bad Habit. That Doesn’t Make It a Mental Illness.," 2 July 2018 The next-best treatment for most people would be an antidepressant or a low dose of a benzodiazepine. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "There’s an Anxiety Drug Shortage—Here’s What You Need to Know," 11 Feb. 2019 GeneSight, from Myriad Genetics, looks at 12 genes involved in how people break down 56 different antidepressant drugs. — Alice Park, Time, "A Genetic Test Could Help Predict the Right Antidepressant For You," 7 May 2018 This could include hormonal and non-hormonal therapies, such as low-dose birth control, SSRIs (a form of antidepressants), and both prescriptive and over-the-counter treatments for vaginal dryness, according to the Office on Women's Health. — Colleen Stinchcombe, Woman's Day, "How Long Does Menopause Last?," 6 Sep. 2018 Toby's outburst may have been a side effect of him getting off his antidepressants. — Eileen Reslen, Good Housekeeping, "The Important Things You Missed During 'This Is Us' Last Night," 3 Oct. 2018 White has fibromyalgia, which her doctor treats with Cymbalta, an antidepressant that helps treat the symptoms. — Avichai Scher /, NBC News, "Here's a surprising extreme heat risk for 1 in 6 Americans," 28 June 2018 This July, a small but provocative study demonstrated better outcomes for patients who had been prescribed an antidepressant after a heart attack. — Laura Kolbe, WSJ, "‘Heart: A History’ Review: At the Bleeding Edge," 14 Sep. 2018 Teigen took antidepressants and leaned on husband John while battling postpartum depression, and told Braver that talking about the condition on social media helped. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Chrissy Teigen Thinks Eating Her Placenta Helped Avoid Postpartum Depression With Her Second Baby," 14 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'antidepressant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about antidepressant

Dictionary Entries near antidepressant

Statistics for antidepressant

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for antidepressant

The first known use of antidepressant was in 1961

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for antidepressant

antidepressant

noun

English Language Learners Definition of antidepressant

medical : a drug that is used to relieve or prevent depression in a person

See the full definition for antidepressant in the English Language Learners Dictionary

antidepressant

adjective

an·ti·de·pres·sant | \ ˌant-i-di-ˈpres-ᵊnt, ˌan-ˌtī-

variants: also antidepressive \ -ˈpres-iv

Medical Definition of antidepressant

(Entry 1 of 2)

: used or tending to relieve or prevent psychological depression : relating to, being, or utilizing an antidepressant an antidepressant drug antidepressant treatment

antidepressant

noun

variants: also antidepressive

Medical Definition of antidepressant (Entry 2 of 2)

: a drug used to treat psychological depression : an antidepressant drug The dual-action antidepressant venlafaxine appears to demonstrate superior efficacy and higher rates of remission in severe depression as compared with either SSRIs such as fluoxetine or tricyclic antidepressants.— John Mann, The New England Journal of Medicine, 27 Oct. 2005

— called also energizer, psychic energizer, psychostimulant

— see tricyclic antidepressant