ANESTHETIC Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

anesthetic 1 of 2

noun

Definition of anesthetic

as in sedative

something (as a drug) that relieves pain the dentist waited until the anesthetic took effect

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

anesthetic

2 of 2

adjective

as in analgesic

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of anesthetic

Noun

Perry, who had long struggled with addiction and wrote about it in a memoir, illegally obtained the powerful dissociative anesthetic from at least two sources. — City News Service, Daily News, 27 May 2026 The actor had been taking the surgical anesthetic ketamine legally for depression, an increasingly common off-label use. — Andrew Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026

Adjective

The actor had been taking the surgical anesthetic ketamine legally for depression, an increasingly common off-label use. — Andrew Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026 The album’s ideal love is anesthetic, a script for surviving daily chaos and tragedy that doesn’t require reciprocation. — Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for anesthetic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for anesthetic

Noun

Monroe reportedly ingested a lethal dose of Nembutal, an anxiety medication, as well as a large dose of chloral hydrate, a drug used as a sedative.

— Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026
Native to the Pacific Islands, its active compounds (kavalactones) act directly on the brain's GABA receptors much like a mild sedative and are typically used for acute anxiety or insomnia.

— Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

Definition of sedative

Noun

In Ecuador, local criminal gangs allied with Colombian and Mexican cartels manage the routes and ship the narcotics, 80% of which originate in Colombia and the rest in Peru.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
Ecuador National Police via AP In Ecuador, local criminal gangs allied with Colombian and Mexican cartels manage the routes and ship the narcotics, 80% of which originate in Colombia and the rest in Peru.

— CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of narcotic

Adjective

The compounds in kratom show promise for their analgesic properties.

— Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
The classic pisco sour is unmissable, as is the island cocktail made with pisco, eucalyptus syrup, and wild murta, a local antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic berry used by indigenous communities in traditional medicine and food.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026

Definition of analgesic

Noun

Other monkeys, including some of the larger and more dominant macaques, had to be subdued with tranquilizer darts before they could be captured.

— Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
The worrisome drug withdrawal popping up in jails A powerful tranquilizer has started to accompany fentanyl in the country’s illicit opioid supply, and jails are struggling to handle the drug’s excruciating, complicated withdrawal symptoms.

— O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 26 June 2026

Definition of tranquilizer

Adjective

Clancy’s psychiatrist already took the stand to discuss the defendant’s anxiety in September, which turned into insomnia in October, after she was prescribed the anti-depressant Zoloft.

— Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 11 Aug. 2026
At the time of the 1998 murder-suicide, Brynn had cocaine, alcohol and a prescription anti-depressant in her system, The New York Times reported.

— Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026

Definition of depressant

Noun

Investigators said Summers was using his phone extensively before the crash, driving 73-75 mph, and tested positive for cocaine and opiates.

— Chadd Cripe. Produced with AI assistance, Idaho Statesman, 30 July 2026
Kratom helped Getz get work, build a life, and ultimately get off of opiates.

— David Manheim, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026

Definition of opiate

Adjective

Often unfurling over the course of entire afternoons and evenings, González’s knotty, hypnotic works typically test the expectations (and patience) of viewers, who are left to figure out what’s improvised and what isn’t.

— Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Caillois employs this term throughout his 1960 book Méduse et cie (The Mask of Medusa), which traces this hypnotic phenomenon through human as well as natural history.

— Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of hypnotic

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“Anesthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anesthetic. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of anesthetic

noun

adjective

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