as in opiates
something that soothes, calms, or induces passivity or a sense of security
an irradicable sense of self-righteousness seems to be the narcotic that inures these religious fanatics from any realization of the harm they have done
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of narcotics
Humphrey was arrested at his home on a separate, unrelated federal warrant for narcotics charges and extradited to California.
—
Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
The second was narcotics trafficking.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2025
Later administrations expanded the same playbook, flooding cities with narcotics units and federal task forces that treated Black communities as war zones.
—Josiah Bates, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
Officials argue that the approach gives Washington greater legal and military latitude to strike at foreign groups involved in narcotics smuggling.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
Contraband cellphones and narcotics circulated everywhere.
—Joe Garcia, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
Harmful substances, such as alcohol and narcotics, are typically regulated and controlled.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2025
Several vessels allegedly carrying narcotics have been targeted, resulting in at least 21 deaths.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
But unlike nicotine or narcotics, food is something that all people need to survive, so quitting cold turkey isn’t an option.
—Claire Wilcox, The Conversation, 10 Oct. 2025
Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
The second was narcotics trafficking.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2025
Later administrations expanded the same playbook, flooding cities with narcotics units and federal task forces that treated Black communities as war zones.
—Josiah Bates, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
Officials argue that the approach gives Washington greater legal and military latitude to strike at foreign groups involved in narcotics smuggling.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
Contraband cellphones and narcotics circulated everywhere.
—Joe Garcia, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
Harmful substances, such as alcohol and narcotics, are typically regulated and controlled.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2025
Several vessels allegedly carrying narcotics have been targeted, resulting in at least 21 deaths.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
But unlike nicotine or narcotics, food is something that all people need to survive, so quitting cold turkey isn’t an option.
—Claire Wilcox, The Conversation, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narcotics
Noun
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
There is not much to say about that misadventure, other than that some people still haven’t gotten the memo about dissociative anesthetics and bathtubs.—
Sam Lipsyte,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Narcotics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narcotics. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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