opiate 1 of 2

opiate

2 of 2

noun

as in narcotic
something that soothes, calms, or induces passivity or a sense of security a cultural critic who argues that the Internet has now joined television as an opiate of the American people

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 opiate
Adjective
According to a report, the man died after not receiving the proper care for his ALS and opiate withdrawal. Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2025 Ventura readily admitted to a serious opiate addiction and feeling jealousy, especially early on, over Combs’ relationships with other women, including the mother of three his children, Kim Porter. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2025
Noun
Some of these common drugs include antacids, antidepressants, blood pressure medication, iron supplements, and opiates (narcotics). Polyps or tumors: A blockage in the intestine caused by a large growth (a polyp) or a tumor prevents stool from passing. Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 4 June 2025 According to the Los Angeles County Medical-Examiner’s autopsy and toxicology reports, Rivera was 6 feet tall, 288 pounds and was under the influence of opiates when he was killed. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for opiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opiate
Adjective
  • For a generation whose existence is mostly, if not entirely, lived through devices, peering through the hypnotic glow of their phone screens at a picture-in-picture playback of the events unfolding in front of them is an extension, or even an evolution, of the experience.
    Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Washington has increasingly tied its counter-narcotics push to its broader campaign against the Maduro government.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Court records show that a majority of Stevenson's arrests are related to the unlawful possession of a firearm or narcotics.
    Chris Spargo, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • The program tests for various drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and other opioids, as well as xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that authorities have warned is increasingly being found mixed in with other drugs.
    Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Schultz also slow-walked the trial use of the fast-acting anesthetic ketamine by paramedics, who were able to administer only four doses in six months under his stewardship.
    Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Low doses of most anesthetics, says Franks, work by affecting our brain cells’ receptors.
    RJ Mackenzie, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Opiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opiate. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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