painkillers

plural of painkiller
as in sedatives
something (as a drug) that relieves pain after her oral surgery, she was given a prescription for a mild painkiller

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 painkillers Cathy says her daughter's addiction struggles began after a 2016 motorcycle accident, when doctors prescribed her painkillers. Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026 He was arrested on a DUI charge in Florida in late March — painkillers were found in his pocket but no alcohol in his system — and sought treatment outside the country. ABC News, 23 June 2026 Cathy believes that Daveigh's addiction began when she was prescribed oxycodone and other painkillers after injuring her back in a motorcycle accident around 2016. Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 20 June 2026 Developed in the 1950s as potential painkillers, the drugs never reached the market because they were deemed unsafe for medical use. Jonathan Moens — Bellingcat, STAT, 18 June 2026 In recent days, young Knicks fans have been made to digest from their dreary Boomer elders heavy doses of old-timey hoops lore, but mainly about the 1970 title series, featuring Willis Reed’s limping, yet noble appearance in Game Seven, his injured leg shot up with painkillers. David Remnick, New Yorker, 14 June 2026 The first is a multibillion-dollar request to build a next-generation production facility for consumer health products, such as over-the-counter painkillers. Rita McGrath, Harvard Business Review, 4 June 2026 But that’s not what happened in his story, where Rue was killed when her cover was blown, and her boss Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) gave her painkillers laced with fentanyl. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 June 2026 Alamo gives Rue painkillers laced with fentanyl. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painkillers
analgesics
Noun
  • 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
  • Here's what to know about the medication, a powerful painkiller that belongs to a group of medicines called opioid analgesics.
    Charles Trepany, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Painkillers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painkillers. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on painkillers

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster