1
as in sedative
something (as a drug) that relieves pain
the dentist waited until the anesthetic took effect
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in narcotic
something that soothes, calms, or induces passivity or a sense of security
he used total immersion in his job as an anesthetic for the empty shell that his marriage had become
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in analgesic
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of anesthetic
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2025
That’s either an epidural, which involves receiving anesthetic meds via a catheter (a.k.a. tiny tube) inserted next to your spinal cord, or a spinal block, which is a single shot of numbing drugs directly into your cerebrospinal fluid.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 16 July 2025
Katie Nixon, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Sep. 2025
Officers initially thought the UCF alum was carrying cocaine, but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement subsequently revealed the substance was ketamine, an anesthetic.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anesthetic
Noun
After his death in 2009 of an overdose of the anesthetic propofol, Paris and her two brothers – who go by Prince, 28, and Bigi, 23 – went to live with their grandmother, Katherine Jackson.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2025
That’s either an epidural, which involves receiving anesthetic meds via a catheter (a.k.a. tiny tube) inserted next to your spinal cord, or a spinal block, which is a single shot of numbing drugs directly into your cerebrospinal fluid.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 16 July 2025
Adjective
These vampiric bugs use needle-like mouthpieces to locate a capillary and inject saliva containing anesthetics and anticoagulants into its host allowing blood to flow freely into their stomachs for several minutes.
—Katie Nixon, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Sep. 2025
Officers initially thought the UCF alum was carrying cocaine, but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement subsequently revealed the substance was ketamine, an anesthetic.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anesthetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anesthetic
Noun
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Texas began solely using pentobarbital, a sedative, for executions in 2012.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Popular since the Soviet days, Validol, a mild sedative sold over the counter, flies off the shelves in tens of millions each year.—
Nina Khrushcheva,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While Washington frames the buildup as a counter-narcotics effort, its scale and coordination have drawn comparisons to prewar mobilizations, highlighting the growing intensity of the standoff.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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Drug runners often transport narcotics through a large stretch of water on the Pacific Ocean and drop them off in Mexico, where they’re subsequently smuggled into the US or Europe.—
David Culver,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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He was driven by the ambition to design the most potent narcotic analgesic possible.—
Jahan Marcu,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
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Even in the analgesic study, where traditional scales often failed or even showed misleading results (for example, participants reporting more pain after receiving an analgesic), the monetary measures correctly and significantly detected differences.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Spike takes one of Kelson's tranquilizer darts filled with morphine and stabs Samson in the arm with it.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
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Jacintha, a horseback rider, was familiar with ketamine as a horse tranquilizer but had never heard of it as a last-stop mental health treatment for treatment-resistant patients like Lucy, who was diagnosed with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The drink is known for its mild euphoria and depressant effects.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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These chemicals can be even more potent than other opiates and produce comparable hallucinogenic effects, increasing the desirability of the cut fentanyl on the market.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
4 Sep. 2025
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Boston Magazine reported that during her training she was ultimately dismissed for administering opiates without a doctor’s order and leaving her shift early.—
Christina Coulter,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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His presence is fresh, empathetic, often hypnotic, and never overacted.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
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One of the most basic versions is a progressive relaxation technique, a countdown from 10 to 1 where Perri uses what are known as hypnotic language patterns.—
Rustin Dodd,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This season of The Golden Bachelor is shaping up to be the most anodyne viewing of the fall.—
Ali Barthwell,
Vulture,
9 Oct. 2025
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But Meyers’s lead-in is Jimmy Fallon at The Tonight Show, who tends to occupy a more politically anodyne space.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anesthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anesthetic. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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