narcotic

American  

[nahr-kot-ik] / nɑrˈkɒt ɪk /

noun

1. any of a class of substances that blunt the senses, as opium, morphine, belladonna, marijuana, and alcohol, that in large quantities produce euphoria, stupor, or coma, that when used constantly can cause habituation or addiction, and that are used in medicine to relieve pain, cause sedation, and induce sleep.

2. any controlled substance, whether sedative or stimulant.

   Airports need security solutions that can effectively detect concealed explosives and narcotics.

3. anything that exercises a soothing or numbing effect or influence.

   Television is a narcotic for many people.

---

adjective

1. of or having the power to produce narcosis, as a drug.

2. pertaining to or of the nature of narcosis.

3. of or relating to narcotics or their use.

4. used by, or in the treatment of, narcotic addicts.

narcotic British  

/ nɑːˈkɒtɪk /

noun

1. any of a group of drugs, such as heroin, morphine, and pethidine, that produce numbness and stupor. They are used medicinally to relieve pain but are sometimes also taken for their pleasant effects; prolonged use may cause addiction

2. anything that relieves pain or induces sleep, mental numbness, etc

3. any illegal drug

---

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating narcotics

2. of or relating to narcotics addicts or users

3. of or relating to narcosis

narcotic Scientific  

/ när-kŏt′ĭk /

1. Any of a group of highly addictive analgesic drugs derived from opium or opiumlike compounds. Narcotics can cause drowsiness and significant alterations of mood and behavior.

---

Other Word Forms

• antinarcotic adjective
• antinarcotics adjective
• narcotically adverb
• nonnarcotic adjective
• prenarcotic adjective
• pseudonarcotic adjective
• seminarcotic adjective
• subnarcotic adjective
• unnarcotic adjective

Etymology

Origin of narcotic

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun narcotic, narkotik, Medieval Latin narcōticum, from Greek narkōtikón, noun use of neuter of narkōtikós “benumbing,” equivalent to narkō- (stem of narkoûn “to benumb” + -tikos adjective suffix; narco-, -tic

Explanation

Use the noun narcotic to talk about a pain relieving or sleep inducing drug and the adjective narcotic to describe anything that has these same effects. Patients who have their wisdom teeth removed are often given a narcotic to ease their pain afterward. A numbing drug is usually just what they need to recover — that and plenty of ice cream. If a hot bath and a cup of tea make you incredibly drowsy, you can say that they have a narcotic effect on you. In the United States, narcotic drugs are illegal without a doctor's prescription — narcotic often has a negative connotation, especially when it's used in news reports.

Example Sentences

A new preclinical study has identified a gene therapy that directly targets pain-processing areas in the brain while avoiding the addiction risks linked to narcotic drugs.

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2026

The regular return of this device lends the album a vaguely narcotic quality, inducing unwanted drowsiness in the listener.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

It sounds aligned with the adjectives I gave, but I’m unsure what narcotic means in this context.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2025

In their 1998 book “The Beach: The History of Paradise on Earth,” Lena Lenček and Gideon Bosker trace the emergence of the beach as “a narcotic for holiday masses.”

From Seattle Times • Sep. 3, 2023

Again the operation; again the narcotic; again some return of colour to the ashy cheeks, and the regular breathing of healthy sleep.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Related Words

• anesthetic
• dope
• hard drug
• heroin
• merchandise
• opiate
• opium
• painkiller
• sedative
• tranquilizer