tranquilizing 1 of 2

adjective

variants also tranquillizing
as in relaxing
tending to calm the emotions and relieve stress a woman who put a lot of faith in the tranquilizing effects of a cup of tea

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tranquilizing

2 of 2

verb

variants also tranquillizing
present participle of tranquilize
as in calming
to free from distress or disturbance at long last the crying baby was tranquilized by the steady rocking of her cradle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 tranquilizing
Verb
Bourne Police assisted the Environmental Police in tranquilizing the bear, which was removed without incident. — Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 12 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tranquilizing
  1. relaxing
  2. calming
  3. soothing
  4. composing
  5. comforting
  6. lulling
  7. hypnotic
Adjective
  • But thanks to Kemble’s careful vision, it gets pulled together into a relaxing space where there's always a new detail to catch your eye.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Grocery shopping for school-age kids is not a relaxing, easy-to-manage weekly chore.
    — Parents, Parents, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of relaxing
Verb
  • The bestselling quilt set comes in more than 10 calming colors including glacier blue, mist gray, and pine green.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Aug. 2026
  • This mimics the feeling of being in the womb, which can have a calming effect.
    — Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of calming
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the in-cabin activities were equally soothing, with meditative coloring books, cards, board games, a yoga mat, and on-the-nose books about getting lost in nature’s beauty.
    — Madeline Bilis, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Getting organized is emotionally soothing as the moon and Mercury harmonize.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of soothing
Verb
  • MarcAurele worked with former Second City director Alan Kliffer to turn three frenzied weeks of writing and composing into a one-night-only concert.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The two immediately bonded over ambient music, tape loops, orchestral composition and drone, forging a friendship that soon extended into touring, live performance and eventually composing together.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 31 July 2026
Definition of composing
Adjective
  • While on vacation, eating a comforting hotel breakfast helps start your day off right.
    — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Most of the album proceeds at a lazy ramble, a blend of the comforting countrypolitian and the folky wanderlust of the progressive country of the late ’60s.
    — Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of comforting
Verb
  • Parsons went on to self-release multiple full-length soundtrack albums of ominous sci-fi pads, glitchy electronics, and lulling melodies before A24 announced the release of a feature-length film.
    — Harry Thorfinn-George, Pitchfork, 11 June 2026
  • The project was about permeating the masses, gradually lulling them with propaganda.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Definition of lulling
Adjective
  • Often unfurling over the course of entire afternoons and evenings, González’s knotty, hypnotic works typically test the expectations (and patience) of viewers, who are left to figure out what’s improvised and what isn’t.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Caillois employs this term throughout his 1960 book Méduse et cie (The Mask of Medusa), which traces this hypnotic phenomenon through human as well as natural history.
    — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of hypnotic

Browse Nearby Words

tranquilizes
tranquilizing
tranquilness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tranquilizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tranquilizing. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on tranquilizing

Nglish: Translation of tranquilizing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gnomic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All