opiate

1 of 2

noun

opi·​ate ˈō-pē-ət  -ˌāt 

plural opiates

1

a

: an alkaloid drug (such as morphine or codeine) that contains or is derived from opium, binds to cell receptors primarily of the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract, acts to block pain, induce sedation or sleep, depress respiration, and produce calmness or euphoria, and is associated with physiological tolerance (see tolerance sense 4a(1)), physical and psychological dependence, and addiction upon repeated or prolonged use

b

: a synthetic or semisynthetic drug (such as fentanyl or methadone) or an endogenous substance (such as beta-endorphin) that binds to opiate cell receptors and produces physiological effects like those of opium derivatives: opioid sense 1

… fentanyl, a synthetic opiate that is 90-100 times more potent than morphine.

—The Economist

Current peptide research has uncovered at least two groups of endogenous opiates in the CNS that modulate the perception of pain.

—Nicholas T. Zervas

Note: The use of opiate for substances that bind to opiate receptors but are not opium derivatives is often considered technically incorrect. Such substances are more commonly referred to as opioids. The word opioid itself was originally used only for these substances, but it has now become widely accepted as a broader term encompassing any substance—natural, synthetic, opium-derived or not—that binds to opiate receptors and has morphine-like activity.

2

: something likened to a drug that induces rest or inaction or quiets uneasiness

Operatic music is an opiate that lowers our critical guard and allows us to entertain views that our good liberal selves would disavow were they presented in naked prose.

—Paul Robinson

… the novel's real drug is the opiate of nostalgia. Richard, narrating the events at a distance of ten years, is still too in love with the friends to look at them with an even faintly critical eye.

—Ruth Franklin

opiate

2 of 2

adjective

1

a

: containing or mixed with opium

b

: of, relating to, binding, or being an opiate

opiate receptors

2

a

: inducing sleep : narcotic

b

: causing dullness or inaction

Synonyms

Noun

• anesthetic
• anodyne
• narcotic

Adjective

• drowsy
• hypnotic
• narcotic
• sleepy
• slumberous
• slumbrous
• somniferous
• somnolent
• soporific

Examples of opiate in a Sentence

Noun

Many see television as an opiate of the masses.

a cultural critic who argues that the Internet has now joined television as an opiate of the American people

Adjective

morphine is an opiate drug

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The pills were made to look like Percocet and other pharmaceutical opiates. —Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 28 Nov. 2023

One year later, this percentage had only increased to approximately 14 percent, while testing for opiates (natural opioids like heroin) remained at about 50 percent. —Eric D. Wish, Scientific American, 15 Nov. 2023

Two North Carolina parents were charged with child abuse after their 22-month-old nearly overdosed on opiates, the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office announced. —Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 30 Oct. 2023

But López Obrador has been slow to acknowledge the depths of the fentanyl crisis, preferring until recently to blame U.S. consumption and not the role of Mexico in production and supply of the synthetic opiate, which is fabricated using chemicals from China. —Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2023

There's no set lethal dose for how much fentanyl is going to kill a person: People who use it regularly will have a much higher tolerance than people who have never taken an opiate. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2023

However, only 58% of the participants adhered to taking the opiate or placebo. —Dr. Faheem Farooq, ABC News, 28 June 2023

The study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, comes as the country, and Oregon especially, confronts a rise in the use of fentanyl, a cheap, plentiful and potent synthetic opiate. —oregonlive, 13 June 2023

Advertisement Fentanyl has been infiltrating illicit-drug supplies across the U.S. for roughly a decade, since traffickers seized on it as a cheaper alternative to traditional opiates. —Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2023

Adjective

But after the 2016 death of her mother, who spent half her life in Margate, Emin has poured a great deal of passion into transforming her hometown of about 63,000, a former summer resort that for decades has been riven with poverty and opiate abuse, into a locus for artists. —Nancy Hass, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2023

And naltrexone suppresses the opioid system, which can reduce cravings in both alcoholics and opiate users. —Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 19 June 2023

One consequence of the injuries his son suffered in the accident, Dr. Zuerlein said, was an addiction to opiate painkillers that led to a number of stints in rehabilitation centers and culminated with his 2019 indictment. —Dale Ellis, Arkansas Online, 18 July 2023

When Marie was at Lexington in the 40s, opiate users were mostly white men. —Carol Sutton Lewis, Scientific American, 6 Apr. 2023

Combined with other disputes over human rights, trade and opiate production, the list of problem areas is daunting. —Matthew Lee, Fortune, 20 June 2023

Symptoms of opiate overdose in dogs include drowsiness, difficulty standing, failure to respond to commands, a blank stare, weakness, unconsciousness and an inability to breathe, according to a handout from the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association. —Zoe Sottile, CNN, 22 Apr. 2023

Murdaugh claimed during his trial that bad land deals and an addiction to opiate pills fueled a decade-long cycle of borrowing and spending by him that battered his family’s finances. —Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 24 May 2023

That funding comes on top of $900,000 Dallas accepted last month in opiate settlement money from the pharmaceuticals industry. —Sharon Grigsby, Dallas News, 6 June 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin opiātum, from Latin opium opium + -ātum -ate entry 1

Adjective

borrowed from Medieval Latin opiātus "soporific," from Latin opium opium + -ātus -ate entry 3

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

opiate

1 of 2 noun

opi·​ate ˈō-pē-ət 

-ˌāt

1

: a drug (as morphine or codeine) that contains or is made from opium, tends to cause sleep and relieve pain, and causes physical and psychological dependence and addiction upon repeated or prolonged use

broadly : opioid

2

: something restful or soothing

the opiate of sleep

opiate

2 of 2 adjective

1

a

: containing or mixed with opium

b

: of, relating to, or being an opiate

2

a

: causing sleep

b

: causing dullness or idleness

Medical Definition

opiate

1 of 2 noun

opi·​ate ˈō-pē-ət  -ˌāt 

1

: an alkaloid drug (as morphine or codeine) that contains or is derived from opium, binds to cell receptors primarily of the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract, acts to block pain, induce sedation or sleep, depress respiration, and produce calmness or euphoria, and is associated with physiological tolerance (see tolerance sense 1), physical and psychological dependence, and addiction upon repeated or prolonged use

2

: a synthetic or semisynthetic drug (as fentanyl or methadone) or an endogenous substance (as beta-endorphin) that binds to opiate cell receptors and produces physiological effects like those of opium derivatives: opioid

… fentanyl, a synthetic opiate that is 90-100 times more potent than morphine.

—The Economist

Current peptide research has uncovered at least two groups of endogenous opiates in the CNS that modulate the perception of pain.

—Nicholas T. Zervas

Note: The use of opiate for substances that bind to opiate receptors but are not opium derivatives is often considered technically incorrect. Such substances are more commonly referred to as opioids. The word opioid itself was originally used only for these substances, but it has now become widely accepted as a broader term encompassing any substance—natural, synthetic, opium-derived or not—that binds to opiate receptors and has morphine-like activity.

opiate

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of, relating to, or being opium or an opium derivative

2

: of, relating to, binding, or being an opiate

opiate receptors