antidepressant

American  

[an-tee-di-pres-uhnt, an-tahy-] / ˌæn ti dɪˈprɛs ənt, ˌæn taɪ- /

Also anti-depressant,

adjective

1. of or relating to a substance that is used in the treatment of mood disorders, as characterized by various manic or depressive affects.

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noun

1. Also called energizer, psychic energizer.  any such substance, as a tricyclic antidepressant, MAO inhibitor, or lithium.

antidepressant British  

/ ˌæntɪdɪˈprɛsənt /

noun

1. any of a class of drugs used to alleviate depression

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adjective

1. of or relating to this class of drugs

antidepressant Scientific  

/ ăn′tē-dĭ-prĕs′ənt,ăn′tī- /

1. A drug used to prevent or treat depression.

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Etymology

Origin of antidepressant

First recorded in 1960–65; anti- + depressant

Example Sentences

When researchers compared exercise with antidepressant medication, they found similar benefits, although the certainty of that evidence was lower.

From Science Daily

Nearly one-third of patients do not improve after trying their first antidepressant, often leading to months of trial and error.

From Science Daily

OpenAI noted that the woman in the case study said she was prone to “magical thinking,” and was on an antidepressant and a stimulant and had gone long stretches without sleep before her hospitalizations.

From The Wall Street Journal

But he said they later told him the cause was an antidepressant from his mother's medication.

From BBC

"I find myself regularly reaching for antidepressants, which I know may only help short term and won't help prevent recurrence," one GP commented.

From BBC