1
as in sedative
something (as a drug) that relieves pain
the dentist waited until the anesthetic took effect
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2
as in narcotic
something that soothes, calms, or induces passivity or a sense of security
he used total immersion in his job as an anesthetic for the empty shell that his marriage had become
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in analgesic
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of anesthetic
Erica Sloan, SELF, 16 July 2025
The first step in both cases is getting your scrotum numbed by applying a topical anesthetic ointment or cream.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
Daryl Austin, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Schultz also slow-walked the trial use of the fast-acting anesthetic ketamine by paramedics, who were able to administer only four doses in six months under his stewardship.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anesthetic
Noun
That’s either an epidural, which involves receiving anesthetic meds via a catheter (a.k.a. tiny tube) inserted next to your spinal cord, or a spinal block, which is a single shot of numbing drugs directly into your cerebrospinal fluid.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 16 July 2025
The first step in both cases is getting your scrotum numbed by applying a topical anesthetic ointment or cream.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
Adjective
Other factors include the level of inflammation and how quickly anesthetics work.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Schultz also slow-walked the trial use of the fast-acting anesthetic ketamine by paramedics, who were able to administer only four doses in six months under his stewardship.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anesthetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anesthetic
Noun
-
At higher doses, kratom can be used as a sedative and potentially cause psychosis.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
-
In a twist, Harrison manages to stab Prater with a sedative that Dexter slipped him episodes before, and Prater collapses.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The United States says its Caribbean operations are aimed at countering narcotics trafficking.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
24 Sep. 2025
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Attorneys for the team argued Monday before Orange County Superior Court Judge Shaina Colover that the Major League Baseball franchise had new evidence indicating the pitcher received narcotics from other sources and that disputed Skaggs’ cause of death during a road trip to Texas in 2019.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The draft, titled Development of Non-Opioid Analgesics for Chronic Pain, outlines steps to creating and seeking alternative chronic pain treatments amid the opioid epidemic, specifically the development of non-opioid analgesic products.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
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An analgesic medication that works in the brain to reduce mild to moderate pain by increasing the body’s pain threshold and changing the way the body senses pain.—
Dr. Sanjay Gupta,
CNN Money,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
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
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The drink is known for its mild euphoria and depressant effects.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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These chemicals can be even more potent than other opiates and produce comparable hallucinogenic effects, increasing the desirability of the cut fentanyl on the market.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
4 Sep. 2025
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Boston Magazine reported that during her training she was ultimately dismissed for administering opiates without a doctor’s order and leaving her shift early.—
Christina Coulter,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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With 2020’s roguelike Hades, Supergiant Games mastered the hypnotic allure of the live-die-repeat cycle by making every attempt have meaning.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
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Spacey guitar, hypnotic synths and jazzy percussion bubbled under Zardoya's spell-binding vocals.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But Meyers’s lead-in is Jimmy Fallon at The Tonight Show, who tends to occupy a more politically anodyne space.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
18 Sep. 2025
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The text, which reads as though it was written by AI, is at times anodyne, at times confusing, but always free of specifics.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anesthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anesthetic. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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