narcotic
Americannoun
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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.
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any controlled substance, whether sedative or stimulant.
Airports need security solutions that can effectively detect concealed explosives and narcotics.
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anything that exercises a soothing or numbing effect or influence.
Television is a narcotic for many people.
noun
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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
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anything that relieves pain or induces sleep, mental numbness, etc
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any illegal drug
adjective
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of, relating to, or designating narcotics
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of or relating to narcotics addicts or users
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of or relating to narcosis
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
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.
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
The arc of history is a narcotic that robs us of human responsibility, in allowing us to believe in some mysterious mechanism that will make things come out right by a sort of magic.
From Salon • Jul. 26, 2025
More than 75% of Thais currently back the plan to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic, according to one recent poll.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2024
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
