opiate
Americannoun
-
Biochemistry, Pharmacology. a drug containing opium or its derivatives, used in medicine for inducing sleep and relieving pain.
The opium poppy yields morphine, codeine, and other opiates.
-
Biochemistry, Pharmacology. any sedative, soporific, or narcotic.
Back then, the country physician would concoct all sorts of opiates in a crude kitchen laboratory.
- Synonyms:
- drug
- Antonyms:
- stimulant
-
anything that causes dullness or inaction or that soothes the feelings.
His favorite opiate seems to be a six-pack in front of the TV.
- Synonyms:
- anodyne
adjective
-
Biochemistry, Pharmacology. mixed or prepared with opium.
Some opiate substances, such as thebaine, may be more toxic than narcotic.
-
Biochemistry, Pharmacology. inducing sleep; soporific; narcotic.
Subjects were given a variety of opiate teas over the course of a four-week study.
- Synonyms:
- sedative
-
causing dullness or inaction.
The opiate effects of their droning reprimands were legendary.
verb (used with object)
-
to subject to an opiate; stupefy.
The violent patients were routinely opiated.
-
to dull or deaden.
This dreadful music is opiating my spirit.
noun
-
any of various narcotic drugs, such as morphine and heroin, that act on opioid receptors
-
any other narcotic or sedative drug
-
something that soothes, deadens, or induces sleep
adjective
-
containing or consisting of opium
-
inducing relaxation; soporific
verb
-
to treat with an opiate
-
to dull or deaden
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of opiate
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French, from Medieval Latin opiātus “bringing sleep,” equivalent to Latin opi(um) “poppy juice” + adjective suffix -ātus; see origin at opium, -ate 1
Explanation
An opiate is a drug such as morphine or heroin that is derived from opium. Used figuratively, it means something that calms or soothes. Karl Marx famously said that religion was the opiate of the masses, which means he thought that it was religion that prevented working-class people from rising up against their leaders. Today, you might say that television has replaced religion as a mass opiate, but you'd need to say that during a commercial for anyone to pay much attention.
Vocabulary lists containing opiate
Freak the Mighty
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100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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Scythe
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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:
Sir Peter was also criticised by family members of patients who died after being given opiate drugs at Gosport War Memorial Hospital between 1987 and 2001.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2020
The researchers created a hypothetical case of an African American man with sickle cell disease, a condition that typically requires opiate medications for control of painful flares.
From Slate ● May 30, 2018
To date, 31 states have expanded Medicaid eligibility since 2014, helping to drive a historic reduction in the number of uninsured Americans — including many of those now struggling with opiate addiction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2017
These new episodes put faces on tales of illegal immigration, the dark side of agribusiness, opiate addiction, abortion law and our lopsided justice system.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2017
But there’s a Sufi story that challenges the notion that people believe only because they need an opiate.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
Bonus: I need no more arthritis meds, no more opiates, no more braces and no cane.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2024
In activating these receptors, opiates prevent neurotransmitter release, thus blocking the transmission of the pain message to spinal cord neurons.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 10, 2021
This is, to put it mildly, a measured way to respond to a question about McKinsey’s record suggesting ways to “turbocharge” sales of opiates and identifying online dissidents for repressive regimes.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2019
Get these pain patients off opiates and off gut-destroying doses of NSAIDs and on this safe effective alternative?
From New York Times ● Nov. 8, 2017
The pillow smells of his lime pomade and she breathes it in, sobbing . . . . . . until, drugged by weeping’s opiates, she falls asleep.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
