ketamine

noun

ke·​ta·​mine ˈke-tə-ˌmēn  ˈkē- 

: a general anesthetic that is administered intravenously and intramuscularly in the form of its hydrochloride C₁₃H₁₆ClNO·HCl and that is used illicitly usually by being inhaled in powdered form especially for the dreamlike or hallucinogenic state it produces

Note: Ketamine is also called Special K when used as a recreational drug

Examples of ketamine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jacintha initially worried about introducing the feeling of ketamine to Lucy, but has spoken with Lucy about the dangers of seeking out that feeling in a non-clinical setting. —Rachel Hale, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025

Speaking to Page Six, the actor, 60, praised Perry's memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, released a year before the actor's death in October 2023 from a ketamine overdose at the age of 54. —Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Sep. 2025

Schultz also slow-walked the trial use of the fast-acting anesthetic ketamine by paramedics, who were able to administer only four doses in six months under his stewardship. —Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2025

Fleming and Iwamasa, as well as greedy ketamine providing doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez have all previously entered guilty pleas in the Perry case. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

ket(one) + amine

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ketamine

• acrolein
• adenine
• alkylene
• aniline
• anthracene
• aquiline
• asphaltene
• atlantean
• atrazine
• butadiene
• butylene
• caesarean

Medical Definition

ketamine

noun

ke·​ta·​mine ˈkēt-ə-ˌmēn 

: a general anesthetic that is administered intravenously or intramuscularly in the form of its hydrochloride C₁₃H₁₆ClNO·HCl and that is used illicitly usually by being inhaled in powdered form especially for the dreamlike or hallucinogenic state it produces see special k