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
Cloud battled migraine headaches due to a previous injury, which Levinson suggests was partly to blame — and perhaps an easy excuse — for his dependence on painkillers.
—
Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2026
Multiple painkillers, sleep aids and THC were detected in his system.
—Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Drugged and dangerous Scientists found cocaine, caffeine and painkillers in sharks around Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Pollution.
—Devika Rao, TheWeek, 7 Apr. 2026
During the crash, a police affidavit said Woods carried two hydrocodone pills, opioid painkillers, in his left pocket.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for painkiller
Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2026
Multiple painkillers, sleep aids and THC were detected in his system.
—Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Drugged and dangerous Scientists found cocaine, caffeine and painkillers in sharks around Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Pollution.
—Devika Rao, TheWeek, 7 Apr. 2026
During the crash, a police affidavit said Woods carried two hydrocodone pills, opioid painkillers, in his left pocket.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for painkiller
Recent Examples of Synonyms for painkiller
Noun
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All Florida executions are carried out by injecting a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.—
David Fischer,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Apr. 2026
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All Florida executions are by lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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The animal was captured just after midnight on Friday after he was shot by a veterinarian using a tranquilizer gun.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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In Ohio, the recent trend among people who use fentanyl is to find pills spiked with an animal tranquilizer that causes severe addiction, said Beckman, of the Hamilton County Quick Response Team.—
Kaitlin Coward,
Boston Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Painkiller.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/painkiller. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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