anesthetize

especially British, an·esthe·tise

[uh-nes-thi-tahyz]

verb (used with object)

anesthetized, anesthetizing 

1. to render physically insensible, as by an anesthetic.

Other Word Forms

• anesthetization noun
• nonanesthetized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of anesthetize¹

1840–50; < Greek anaísthēt ( os ) ( anesthetic ) + -ize

Example Sentences

The anesthetizing effect, in that case, feels quite deliberate, coming from people who very much want Americans to sleepwalk into an authoritarian state.

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So it is that the first truly post-social media president has brought the scrubbed and anesthetized taste of the internet to the White House grounds.

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These are meant to be the anesthetizing accompaniment to playlists featuring purveyors of sonic wallpaper made to help your whole body chill out — a vibe-fest, on demand.

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Those latter respondents have presumably been anesthetized, never set foot in the real world or live in a permanent, chemically induced stupor.

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During a search of his home, investigators found a clear vial that tested positive for a drug that could be used to anesthetize a person, Deputy Dist.

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Related Words

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