painkiller

noun

pain·​kill·​er ˈpān-ˌki-lər 

variants or less commonly pain-killer

: something (such as a drug) that relieves pain

pain-killing

ˈpān-ˌki-liŋ 

adjective

or painkilling

Synonyms

• analgesic
• anesthetic
• anodyne

Examples of painkiller in a Sentence

I took some over-the-counter painkillers for my headache.

after her oral surgery, she was given a prescription for a mild painkiller

Recent Examples on the Web

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends not taking painkillers or using a tourniquet.13 Antivenom Antivenom, also known as venom antidote, is a treatment that contains antibodies that help neutralize the toxic effects of venom. —Laura Schober, Health, 15 Aug. 2024

Sackler died in 1987, nine years before the family’s pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma started selling OxyContin, a prescription painkiller with addictive properties. —Karen K. Ho, ARTnews.com, 8 Aug. 2024

Purdue Pharma and the opioid crisis OxyContin first hit the market in 1996, and Purdue Pharma’s aggressive marketing of it is often cited as a catalyst of the nationwide opioid epidemic, with doctors persuaded to prescribe painkillers with less regard for addiction dangers. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 27 June 2024

The new filing dropped a conspiracy charge that was in the original criminal complaint filed last year, and also changed the involved narcotic from fentanyl to Tapentadol, another powerful and highly addictive opioid painkiller. —Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

painkiller

noun

pain·​kill·​er ˈpān-ˌkil-ər 

: something (as a drug) that relieves pain

painkilling

-iŋ 

adjective

Medical Definition

painkiller

noun

pain·​kill·​er -ˌkil-ər 

: something (as a drug) that relieves pain

painkilling

-iŋ 

adjective