sedative

American  

[sed-uh-tiv] / ˈsɛd ə tɪv /

adjective

1. tending to calm or soothe.

2. allaying irritability or excitement; assuaging pain; lowering functional activity.

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noun

• sedatives
  plural

1. a sedative drug or agent.

sedative British  

/ ˈsɛdətɪv /

adjective

1. having a soothing or calming effect

2. of or relating to sedation

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noun

1. med a sedative drug or agent

sedative Scientific  

/ sĕd′ə-tĭv /

1. A drug having a calming or quieting effect, often given to reduce anxiety or to promote relaxation.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unsedative
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sedatives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sedative

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English (adjective), from Middle French sédatif, from Medieval Latin sēdātīvus; equivalent to sedate + -ive

Explanation

A sedative is a drug that calms you down. If a patient is freaking out about getting an MRI or minor surgery, the doctor might prescribe a sedative to chill them out. A sedative is anything that makes you sedate — peaceful, calm, tranquil. In medicine this word refers to drugs that relieve anxiety or tranquilizers that pretty much knock you out. But other non-pharmaceutical things can have sedative effects, like a soothing cup of tea or a relaxing glass of wine. The tryptophan in turkey is actually a natural sedative — that's why everyone is sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sedative sedatives

Specifically, the pain-relieving effects were linked to the adenosine A2a receptor -- a receptor that caffeine targets and blocks -- suggesting that terpenes may also have sedative properties.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026

Emergency-room visits for vertigo commonly result in unnecessary diagnostic tests and sedative medications, potentially worsening patient outcomes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

Despite this progress, Abigail said her mum was still "temporarily paralysed and on heavy sedative medication... she's not very compos-mentis," Abigail said.

From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2025

One night, a nurse gave him the painkiller Norco, the antipsychotic Haldol, the sedative Ativan and the antihistamine Benadryl, according to the report from the Department of Public Health.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2025

I saw that turbulent emotions possessed her, so I asked what I thought would be some sedative questions about her little girl.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

A medically-induced coma is when sedatives are used to put a patient into a reversible state of deep unresponsiveness, to try and protect the brain from traumatic damage.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

While many ER visits for dizziness result in expensive CT scans and sedatives, researchers are finding there are more-effective options.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

The passages recounting her shattered emotional state and her understandable fear of the sedatives that were administered to calm her, are terrifying in their battered simplicity and clarity of purpose.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2025

Lifestyle TV might as well be sedatives or anti-depressants, the medicine people want in tumultuous times.

From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2025

‘We don’t want to interrupt your crazy time. Maybe you can just finish this conversation with yourself and we’ll come back later, with, um, some bigger weapons and possibly some sedatives.’

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• medication
• narcotic
• opiate
• sleeping pill