anodyne

[an-uh-dahyn]

noun

1. a medicine that relieves or allays pain.

2. anything that relieves distress or pain.

   The music was an anodyne to his grief.

adjective

1. relieving pain.

   a book detailing the anodyne properties of certain plants.

2. soothing to the mind or feelings.

   the anodyne effects of a month's vacation.

3. weakened and made bland, as to avoid harm or controversy.

   anodyne explanations that shelter children from the brutal truth.

anodyne

/ ˈænəˌdaɪn /

noun

1. a drug that relieves pain; analgesic

2. anything that alleviates mental distress

adjective

1. capable of relieving pain or distress

Other Word Forms

• anodynic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of anodyne¹

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin anōdynus, from Greek anṓdynos “free from pain, soothing pain,” equivalent to an- + ōdyn- (stem of odýnē “pain,” with lengthening of o ) + -os adjective suffix; an- ¹, -odynia ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of anodyne¹

C16: from Latin anōdynus, from Greek anōdunos painless, from _an- + odunē pain

Example Sentences

Neither is watching interviews and documentaries about its justices, regardless of how anodyne their subjects may appear.

From Salon

In evidence last week, Prof Nurse said his letter had been "ignored" by the secretary of state for three months, before he received an "anodyne response" from another civil servant.

From BBC

Yes, Christie offers the typical anodyne advice — write what you know and the type of book you enjoy reading — but she also gets very granular.

From Los Angeles Times

"Geneva will only produce anodyne statements about 'frank dialogues' and the desire to keep talking."

From BBC

Beneath the surface, this deliberately anodyne event, built around the uncontroversial fact that Ireland and the U.S. are closely tied by ancestry, history, culture and trade, was about lots of other stuff too.

From Salon