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
Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025
These vampiric bugs use needle-like mouthpieces to locate a capillary and inject saliva containing anesthetics and anticoagulants into its host allowing blood to flow freely into their stomachs for several minutes.
—Katie Nixon, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Sep. 2025
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for anesthetic
Noun
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic, which can have some hallucinogenic effects at low doses, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
—Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025
These vampiric bugs use needle-like mouthpieces to locate a capillary and inject saliva containing anesthetics and anticoagulants into its host allowing blood to flow freely into their stomachs for several minutes.
—Katie Nixon, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
After his death in 2009 of an overdose of the anesthetic propofol, Paris and her two brothers – who go by Prince, 28, and Bigi, 23 – went to live with their grandmother, Katherine Jackson.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for anesthetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anesthetic
Noun
-
That specific request was made because those three drugs combine to make BAM, a powerful animal sedative that authorities allege Barry used to kill his wife.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Florida’s lethal injections are carried out with a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While Washington frames the buildup as a counter-narcotics effort, its scale and coordination have drawn comparisons to prewar mobilizations, highlighting the growing intensity of the standoff.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Drug runners often transport narcotics through a large stretch of water on the Pacific Ocean and drop them off in Mexico, where they’re subsequently smuggled into the US or Europe.—
David Culver,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
He was driven by the ambition to design the most potent narcotic analgesic possible.—
Jahan Marcu,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Even in the analgesic study, where traditional scales often failed or even showed misleading results (for example, participants reporting more pain after receiving an analgesic), the monetary measures correctly and significantly detected differences.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
After ambushing Fuller at her mansion, Teddy and his accomplice/cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) knock her unconscious with a tranquilizer and load her into the backseat of her own car.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
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After that incident, the department changed its approach and shot the remaining three adults with tranquilizer darts rather than a firearm, then euthanized them on the ground with injections of the type a sick animal might receive when being put to sleep by a veterinarian.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That was my first experience with opiates.—
Ilana Kaplan,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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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
Adjective
-
The drink is known for its mild euphoria and depressant effects.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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With her powerful voice and hypnotic interpretative quality, Peluso seems tailor-made for this.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
4 Nov. 2025
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His presence is fresh, empathetic, often hypnotic, and never overacted.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anesthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anesthetic. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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