as in sedative
something (as a drug) that relieves pain
after her oral surgery, she was given a prescription for a mild painkiller
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Recent Examples of painkiller
And fentanyl, a painkiller that can be 50 times as strong as heroin, is one of the most common targets.
—
Brett Kelman, CBS News, 1 June 2026
Ali tests the bottle of painkillers and confirms they were laced with fentanyl.
—Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
But the judge, Clifton Newman, responded with a forceful rebuke of Murdaugh and alluded to the defendant’s addiction to prescription painkillers.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 13 May 2026
The defense argued that Eric Richins was addicted to painkillers.
—Hannah Schoenbaum, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for painkiller
Brett Kelman, CBS News, 1 June 2026
Ali tests the bottle of painkillers and confirms they were laced with fentanyl.
—Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
But the judge, Clifton Newman, responded with a forceful rebuke of Murdaugh and alluded to the defendant’s addiction to prescription painkillers.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 13 May 2026
The defense argued that Eric Richins was addicted to painkillers.
—Hannah Schoenbaum, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for painkiller
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painkiller
Noun
-
The woman did a Google image search and concluded that the drug was stronger — Ambien, a prescription sedative, reads the complaint.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
9 June 2026
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The attorneys also said prosecutors did not prove the sedative is what killed him.—
Mead Gruver,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Across all participants, 81% reduced their use of oral analgesics, and the suppository was well-tolerated, with most participants willing to use it again.—
Geri Stengel,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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One approach to the treatment of pain, almost regardless of its cause, has gained both acceptance and notoriety: the use of opioids, or narcotic analgesics.—
Dr. Patricia Richard,
Hartford Courant,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
On Tuesday afternoon, the bear was found on a private property and shot by a veterinarian with a tranquilizer gun, city official Ryuhei Irie said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
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There are sedatives such as xylazine, street-named Tranq, an animal tranquilizer that can cause fleshrotting skin lesions and is frequently mixed with fentanyl.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Painkiller.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painkiller. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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