an·es·thet·ic
ˌa-nəs-ˈthe-tik 
1
: of, relating to, or capable of producing anesthesia
2
: lacking awareness or sensitivity
was anesthetic to their feelings
1
: a substance that produces anesthesia
2
: something that brings relief : palliative
Examples of anesthetic in a Sentence
Noun
The doctor gave him the stitches without an anesthetic.
the dentist waited until the anesthetic took effect
Recent Examples on the Web
Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 30 May 2025
Both the anesthetic and potential neuroprotective effects occur because xenon can bind to brain receptors called N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 29 May 2025
Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2025
Over the course of two months, Jackson requested that Murray administer the drug Propofol, an anesthetic typically used in hospital settings.
—Alex Gurley, People.com, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for anesthetic
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Adjective
Contributing conditions included the administration of multiple anesthetic medications.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 30 May 2025
Both the anesthetic and potential neuroprotective effects occur because xenon can bind to brain receptors called N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 29 May 2025
Noun
The team also used this approach to block pain in the sciatic nerve in one leg of a rat using a local anesthetic.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2025
Over the course of two months, Jackson requested that Murray administer the drug Propofol, an anesthetic typically used in hospital settings.
—Alex Gurley, People.com, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for anesthetic
Cite this Entry
“Anesthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anesthetic. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
anesthetic
1 of 2 adjective
an·es·thet·ic
ˌan-əs-ˈthet-ik
: of, relating to, or capable of producing anesthesia
anesthetic
2 of 2 noun
: a substance that produces anesthesia in part or all of the body
Medical Definition
anesthetic
1 of 2 adjective
an·es·thet·ic
variants
or chiefly British anaesthetic
1
: capable of producing anesthesia
anesthetic agents
2
: of, relating to, or caused by anesthesia
an anesthetic effect
anesthetic symptoms
anesthetic
2 of 2 noun
variants
or chiefly British anaesthetic
: a substance that produces anesthesia
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