variants
or British anaesthetic
plural anesthetics
medical
: a drug that causes a person to lose feeling and to feel no pain in part or all of the body
The doctor gave him the stitches without an anesthetic.
The surgery required a general anesthetic. [=a drug that makes a person unconscious and unable to feel pain]
a local anesthetic [=a drug that makes a part of the body unable to feel pain]
Cite this Entry
“Anesthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/anesthetic. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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