antidepressant
Americanadjective
noun
-
antidepressants
plural
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of antidepressant
First recorded in 1960–65; anti- + depressant
Explanation
An antidepressant is a drug used to treat depression. Unfortunately, many antidepressants have unwanted side effects. Depression is a form of extreme sadness, when you're so sad that it impairs your ability to function. Words starting with anti are the opposite or go against other things. Antidepressants, then, are drugs that fight depression. If you’re depressed, a doctor can prescribe an antidepressant such as Prozac or Zoloft. Antidepressants can improve your mood, but they often have side effects such as weight gain or headaches.
Vocabulary lists containing antidepressant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Both Kimberley and Jacqui were prescribed various antidepressant medications over the years to little or no benefit - but never asked if they had experienced mania until they reached the point of hospitalisation.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
The pharmaceutical company was tangled in a public dispute over the allegedly harmful side effects of Prozac, its popular antidepressant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
The evidence offers a compelling explanation for why some damaged valves may deteriorate faster, but it does not replace imaging, clinical evaluation, or individualized decisions about antidepressant treatment.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
Creatine may also influence dopamine and serotonin, two neurotransmitters that play important roles in mood regulation and are targeted by many antidepressant medications.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 30, 2026
They’ve upped his antidepressant, which doesn’t seem to make him any less depressed, but helps him to forget that he is.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
As Bamford’s friend, comedian Gary Gulman, says toward the film’s end: “Those interactions are antidepressants, and she’s created so many of these little antidepressants.”
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
Jair Bolsonaro is currently on antidepressants and is "stable," according to the latest medical reports, although his wife, Michelle, has said that the elections have made him "a bit anxious."
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
She is now getting divorced and taking antidepressants.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The results broadened the concern beyond isolated thickening of the mitral valve, although animal findings cannot determine what happens in people taking standard doses of antidepressants.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
They’d brought her to a shelter, where she’d been showered, fed, prescribed antidepressants, and released three weeks later.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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