opiate 1 of 2

opiate

2 of 2

noun

as in narcotic
something that soothes, calms, or induces passivity or a sense of security a cultural critic who argues that the Internet has now joined television as an opiate of the American people

Synonyms & Similar 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 opiate
Adjective
Toward the end of Thursday’s questioning, the defense asked Ventura about the 2016 InterContinental hotel freak-off, where the video of Combs beating Ventura in a hallway came from, and tried to indicate Combs was going through opiate withdrawal at the time, The New York Times reported. Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025 So could a weight loss medication that blocks opiate receptors along with suppressing appetite be effective? Andrea Muraskin, NPR, 15 Mar. 2025
Noun
Some of these common drugs include antacids, antidepressants, blood pressure medication, iron supplements, and opiates (narcotics). Polyps or tumors: A blockage in the intestine caused by a large growth (a polyp) or a tumor prevents stool from passing. Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 4 June 2025 According to the Los Angeles County Medical-Examiner’s autopsy and toxicology reports, Rivera was 6 feet tall, 288 pounds and was under the influence of opiates when he was killed. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for opiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opiate
Adjective
  • But as the microbes spread across the screen, the visual becomes almost hypnotic—and, as Peck recently told me, akin to how dictators overwhelm people’s abilities to determine fact from fiction.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Its Mudéjar architecture, a hypnotic blend of Islamic artistry and Christian tradition, never fails to captivate travelers.
    Nigel Hack, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • 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
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
Noun
  • Although the brain itself has no pain receptors, Bacon was given local anesthetic to numb her scalp and skull, as doctors made holes half the size of a small coin in her skull and implanted the stimulating electrodes inside.
    Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
  • 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Opiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opiate. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on opiate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!