as in hypnotic
tending to cause sleep
morphine is an opiate drug
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of opiate
Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 17 Jan. 2025
Oxycodone and hydrocodone are in a class of medications called opiate (narcotic) analgesics (pain-relievers).
—Ayesha Gulzar, Verywell Health, 3 Jan. 2025
Femi Aremu, Verywell Health, 3 Feb. 2025
A day later, a social worker told the new mother: The baby’s meconium — or first bowel movement — had tested positive for opiates.
—Shoshana Walter, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for opiate
Adjective
The nineteenth century brought better opiate drugs for pain and effective surgical anesthesia.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 17 Jan. 2025
Oxycodone and hydrocodone are in a class of medications called opiate (narcotic) analgesics (pain-relievers).
—Ayesha Gulzar, Verywell Health, 3 Jan. 2025
Noun
Tolerance is a side effect of many medications, such as opiates and benzodiazepines, which are often used to help treat pain and anxiety.
—Femi Aremu, Verywell Health, 3 Feb. 2025
A day later, a social worker told the new mother: The baby’s meconium — or first bowel movement — had tested positive for opiates.
—Shoshana Walter, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for opiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opiate
Adjective
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Come for the lingering glamour shots of Keene and Hyland, resplendent in their 1930s finery, stay for the hypnotic overhead shots of the rocky coast off Gull’s Point.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
18 Apr. 2025
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The short plunges viewers into a hypnotic, psychological clash between light and dark.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Like many newcomers, Bustillo went through a rotation at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, starting with the appellate division and then moving into narcotics.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
26 Apr. 2025
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Not the first time Thursday’s speech was not the first time Kennedy had been upfront about his previous struggles with narcotics.—
Sandy Mazza,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Animal tranquilizers enhance the user’s euphoric high from opioids, particularly in those who have developed a tolerance to the opioid.—
C. Michael White,
The Conversation,
7 Apr. 2025
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Sometimes, short-acting tranquilizers can help, but some of these same medicines can also cause sleepwalking.18 When sleepwalking is related to an underlying disorder or medication, treating that condition or switching medications may help.—
Ann Pietrangelo,
Verywell Health,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Prosecutors say Peñaloza Cabrera suffered lidocaine toxicity, a condition that occurs when excessive amounts of the anesthetic enter the bloodstream, which can lead to seizures, irregular heart rhythms and in severe cases respiratory failure or cardiac arrest.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2025
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Nevertheless, Wells’ failure inspired his former partner, Thomas Green Morton, to continue experimenting with anesthetics, this time using ether instead of nitrous oxide.—
Ella Jeffries,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Opiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opiate. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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