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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of painkiller
Fuel Properly McGregor, who wrote a guide to fueling for races in her book Fuel for Thought, believes food can be a painkiller.
—
Dan England, Outside, 5 Feb. 2026
When his mother, Dianne, who is a nurse, warned him about the dangers of becoming addicted to painkillers, Strong quickly stopped taking them and stuck with Tylenol.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
The same thing applies to other types of pharmaceuticals such as antidepressants, painkillers and blood-pressure-lowering drugs.
—New Atlas, 21 Jan. 2026
Overdose deaths fell in 45 states Deaths began steadily climbing in the 1990s with overdoses involving opioid painkillers, followed by waves of deaths from heroin and — more recently — illicit fentanyl.
—Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for painkiller
Dan England, Outside, 5 Feb. 2026
When his mother, Dianne, who is a nurse, warned him about the dangers of becoming addicted to painkillers, Strong quickly stopped taking them and stuck with Tylenol.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
The same thing applies to other types of pharmaceuticals such as antidepressants, painkillers and blood-pressure-lowering drugs.
—New Atlas, 21 Jan. 2026
Overdose deaths fell in 45 states Deaths began steadily climbing in the 1990s with overdoses involving opioid painkillers, followed by waves of deaths from heroin and — more recently — illicit fentanyl.
—Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for painkiller
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painkiller
Noun
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All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
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Jon Ruben, a 76-year-old retired British veterinarian, was sentenced to 23 years and 10 months in prison on charges of child abuse after drugging boys with sedative-laden candy last year at a summer camp in England.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The feds began cracking down on prescription opioid analgesics (OAs) to combat their overprescribing to people with pain issues.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
19 Dec. 2025
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Some studies suggest lemongrass has anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and analgesic (pain-relieving) properties.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
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In many areas, the sheer toxicity of street drugs and the presence of xylazine, an animal tranquilizer associated with severe skin wounds that can require amputation, has led many users to avoid syringes at all costs.—
Lev Facher,
STAT,
12 Feb. 2026
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After that, officials decided to use tranquilizer darts to take down the animals believed to be the three adults in the pack before euthanizing them.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Painkiller.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painkiller. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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