as in relaxing
tending to calm the emotions and relieve stress
some people find a glass of wine to be a civilized and sedative addition to an evening meal
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in tranquilizer
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sedative
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2025
It was once used as an anticonvulsant and sedative, but today is primarily used for cleaning, manufacturing and agricultural purposes, according to the National Institutes of Health.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Andrew Deangelo, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
In any case, chamomile flowers—which look like adorable, tiny daisies—contain flavonoids, terpenoids, and coumarins which certainly have mildly sedative, anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic properties.
—Valentina Bottoni, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sedative
Adjective
Police here have released video of officers wrestling with and eventually detaining a man who went unresponsive and died after being injected with a controversial sedative.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2025
It was once used as an anticonvulsant and sedative, but today is primarily used for cleaning, manufacturing and agricultural purposes, according to the National Institutes of Health.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
The effects can be either stimulative or sedative, depending on dose and individual metabolism.
—Andrew Deangelo, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
In any case, chamomile flowers—which look like adorable, tiny daisies—contain flavonoids, terpenoids, and coumarins which certainly have mildly sedative, anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic properties.
—Valentina Bottoni, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sedative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sedative
Adjective
-
Incorporate rewards that motivate you, such as a relaxing bath, healthy snack, or movie night.—
Chelsea Rae Bourgeois,
Health,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Meanwhile, Sami, a city boy ashamed of his roots, arrives for a relaxing weekend on his family farm.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Spike takes one of Kelson's tranquilizer darts filled with morphine and stabs Samson in the arm with it.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Jacintha, a horseback rider, was familiar with ketamine as a horse tranquilizer but had never heard of it as a last-stop mental health treatment for treatment-resistant patients like Lucy, who was diagnosed with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Jonny Greenwood’s score moves between soaring strings and dissonant piano keys, alternately soothing and anxious; a few pieces composed by Jon Brion add an ambient layer of wistfulness.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
26 Sep. 2025
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Jonny Greenwood’s score moves between soaring strings and dissonant piano keys, alternately soothing and anxious; a few pieces composed by Jon Brion add an ambient layer of wistfulness.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The draft guidance could shape clinical trial designs, labeling considerations and FDA review expectations for future prescription non-opioid analgesics seeking approval for chronic pain indications, potentially influencing investment and development priorities in the pharmaceutical industry.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
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Its pill, called Tonyma, is a nonopioid analgesic designed to be absorbed into the bloodstream quickly.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The smoke was billowing, but that ray of sunshine that came through was just very comforting.—
Georgea Kovanis,
Freep.com,
5 Oct. 2025
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The hearty blend of tomatoes, chicken, turkey, and rice is seriously comforting.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sedative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sedative. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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