cetirizine

noun

ce·tir·i·zine se-ˈtir-ə-ˌzēn

variants or less commonly cetirizine hydrochloride

: a long-acting, nonsedating, antihistamine drug taken orally in the form of its hydrochloride C₂₁H₂₅ClN₂O₃·2HCl especially to treat allergic rhinitis and chronic hives

Note: Cetirizine is marketed under the trademark Zyrtec.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The analysis listed the allergy medication cetirizine (best known by the brand name Zyrtec), as well. —

David K. Li, NBC News, 2 May 2023 All Day Allergy: available on AmazonKnock hay fever right out of the park with this offering from Amazon, featuring 300 10mg cetirizine hydrochloride tablets. —

Kevin Luna, chicagotribune.com, 1 Apr. 2021 These medications—including cetirizine (Zyrtec), levocetirizine (Xyzal), loratadine (Claritin), and fexofenadine (Allegra)—are more effective and work by blocking the effects of histamines (what sets off allergy symptoms) in the body. —

Rachel Nall, Msn, SELF, 24 May 2022 There are over-the-counter antihistamine medications people with allergies can seek out, Corbett said, such as cetirizine, fexofenadine or nasal sprays. —

Sarah Ladd, The Courier-Journal, 14 Apr. 2022 The only real differences between pills like Allegra (fexofenadine), Zyrtec (cetirizine), and Claritin (loratadine) are how the body metabolizes them. —

Sara Chodosh, Popular Science, 19 Apr. 2020 Loratadine gets processed a lot by your liver, whereas cetirizine and fexofenadine don't as much. —

Sara Chodosh, Popular Science, 19 Apr. 2020 Two allergy medications — cetirizine, also known as Zyrtec, and loratadine, sold under the Claritin brand — cost about three-quarters less on Amazon than the drugstore chains’ house brands did in the store. —

Bloomberg, latimes.com, 6 July 2018 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cetirizine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of cetirizine was in 1987

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cetirizine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cetirizine. Accessed 31 May. 2023.

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Medical Definition

cetirizine

noun

ce·tir·i·zine se-ˈtir-ə-ˌzēn

: a long-acting, nonsedating, antihistamine drug that is taken orally in the form of its dihydrochloride C₂₁H₂₅ClN₂O₃·2HCl especially to treat allergic rhinitis and chronic hives

Note: Cetirizine is a derivative of piperazine and an H₁ antagonist that binds competitively with histamine to H₁ receptors on cell membranes. It is marketed under the trademark Zyrtec.