narcotic

1 of 2

noun

nar·​cot·​ic när-ˈkä-tik How to pronounce narcotic (audio)
1
a
: a drug (such as opium or morphine) that in moderate doses dulls the senses, relieves pain, and induces profound sleep but in excessive doses causes stupor, coma, or convulsions
b
: a drug (such as marijuana or LSD) subject to restriction similar to that of addictive narcotics whether physiologically (see physiological) addictive and narcotic or not
2
: something that soothes, relieves, or lulls
a public comforted by the narcotic of military supremacy

narcotic

2 of 2

adjective

1
a
: having the properties of, being, or yielding a narcotic
narcotic sedatives
narcotic coca leaves
arrested for the sale of narcotic drugs including heroin
… pills containing two common narcotic painkillers—hydrocodone and oxycodone—accounted for about 39 percent of drugs identified in criminal cases that involved prescription medications, according to statistics from the county Crime Laboratory.David Riley
b
: inducing mental lethargy or stupor
He's still serving up drama in empty, narcotic snippets—life as a series of sound bites.Owen Gleiberman
2
a
: of, involving, or concerned with narcotics : relating to the use of narcotics
narcotic arrests
narcotic addiction
narcotic enforcement bureaus
Narcotics and narcotic paraphernalia were located during the search at the residence on Sacramento Street.Stacey Adams
Naltrexone is a narcotic antagonist that prevents illicit drugs from binding to receptors in the brain without producing any high itself.Mike Clary
b
: produced by or as if by narcotics
mild narcotic effects
narcotic analgesia
… a square of melting chocolate on the tongue is so narcotic it instantly provides a traveler with a sense of well-being.Bert Greene
The somnolent atmosphere, typical of his last pictures, conveys a sense of an almost narcotic trance.Stephen Jones
3
: involving, affecting, or intended for people addicted to or dependent on narcotics
narcotic rehab programs
narcotic withdrawal
narcotically adverb

Examples of narcotic in a Sentence

Noun an irradicable sense of self-righteousness seems to be the narcotic that inures these religious fanatics from any realization of the harm they have done Adjective some therapists believe that certain scents can have a narcotic effect on people the lecturer droned on in a narcotic monotone that eventually had the entire class struggling to stay awake
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
His career highlights also included 77 criminal apprehensions, and more than 500 criminal narcotics arrests. Angel Saunders, People.com, 10 Oct. 2024 In another incident, a TD Bank employee in 2021 helped launder narcotics proceeds in exchange for bribes, according to FinCen, a bureau within the U.S. Treasury Department. Alain Sherter, CBS News, 10 Oct. 2024
Adjective
The breezy, two-minute songs on Mixtape Pluto are a sharp contrast not only from the narcotic, hypnotic vibe-outs of his studio albums, but even the classic mixtapes this hearkens to. Christopher R. Weingarten, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2024 From January to June 2023, Leake allegedly purchased narcotic drugs from an accomplice in another criminal case, Russian state media reported, citing Moscow’s prosecutor’s office. Sergey Gudkov, CNN, 18 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for narcotic 

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English nercotike, narkotyke, borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French narcotique, borrowed from Medieval Latin narcōticus, noun derivative of narcōticus, adjective, "dulling the senses, inducing sleep" — more at narcotic entry 2

Adjective

borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French narcotique "(of a drug) dulling the senses, inducing sleep," borrowed from Medieval Latin narcōticus, borrowed from Greek narkōtikós, from narkō-, variant stem of narkoûn "to benumb, deaden" + -t-, verbal adjective suffix + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at narcosis

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of narcotic was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near narcotic

Cite this Entry

“Narcotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narcotic. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

narcotic

1 of 2 noun
nar·​cot·​ic när-ˈkät-ik How to pronounce narcotic (audio)
1
: a drug (as opium or morphine) that in small doses dulls the senses, relieves pain, and causes sleep but in large doses has dangerous effects (as coma)
2
: something that soothes, relieves, or lulls

narcotic

2 of 2 adjective
1
: acting as or being the source of a narcotic
narcotic drugs
the opium poppy is a narcotic plant
2
: of or relating to narcotics or their use or control
narcotic laws

Medical Definition

narcotic

1 of 2 noun
nar·​cot·​ic när-ˈkät-ik How to pronounce narcotic (audio)
1
: a drug (as codeine, methadone, or morphine) that in moderate doses dulls the senses, relieves pain, and induces profound sleep but in excessive doses causes stupor, coma, or convulsions
2
: a drug (as marijuana or LSD) subject to restriction similar to that of addictive narcotics whether in fact physiologically addictive and narcotic or not

narcotic

2 of 2 adjective
1
: having the properties of, being, or yielding a narcotic
narcotic analgesics
… pills containing two common narcotic painkillers—hydrocodone and oxycodone—accounted for about 39 percent of drugs identified in criminal cases that involved prescription medications, according to statistics from the county Crime Laboratory.David Riley, Rochester (New York) Democrat and Chronicle
heroin and other illicit narcotic drugs
2
a
: of, involving, or concerned with narcotics : relating to the use of narcotics
narcotic addiction
Naltrexone is a narcotic antagonist that prevents illicit drugs from binding to receptors in the brain without producing any high itself.Mike Clary, The Los Angeles Times
b
: produced by narcotics
narcotic analgesia
3
: involving, affecting, or intended for people addicted to or dependent on narcotics
narcotic rehab programs
narcotic withdrawal

More from Merriam-Webster on narcotic

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