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

The order moves cannabis from a Schedule I drug, a category that includes heroin and LSD, to a Schedule III drug, a category including ketamine, Tylenol with codeine and steroids. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 19 Dec. 2025

This includes ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone and products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit, like Tylenol with codeine. —Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 18 Dec. 2025

Reclassification by the Drug Enforcement Administration moves marijuana out of the Schedule I category with heroin and LSD and into Schedule III, alongside drugs like ketamine. —Vivian Jones, Nashville Tennessean, 18 Dec. 2025

Chavez pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. —Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 16 Dec. 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