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Synonyms

opium

American  
[oh-pee-uhm] / ˈoʊ pi əm /

noun

  1. the dried, condensed juice of a poppy, Papaver somniferum, that has a narcotic, soporific, analgesic, and astringent effect and contains morphine, codeine, papaverine, and other alkaloids used in medicine in their isolated or derived forms: a narcotic substance, poisonous in large doses.

  2. anything that causes dullness or inaction or that soothes the mind or emotions.

opium British  
/ ˈəʊpɪəm /

noun

  1. the dried juice extracted from the unripe seed capsules of the opium poppy that contains alkaloids such as morphine and codeine: used in medicine as an analgesic

  2. something having a tranquillizing or stupefying effect

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
opium Scientific  
/ ō′pē-əm /

  1. A highly addictive, yellowish-brown drug obtained from the pods of a variety of poppy, from which other drugs, such as morphine, are prepared.

opium Cultural  

  1. A highly addictive drug obtained from the poppy plant. Several other drugs, such as morphine and codeine, are derived from opium.

Etymology

Origin of opium

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin < Greek ópion poppy juice, equivalent to op ( ós ) sap, juice + -ion diminutive suffix

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.

The Los Angeles Times ran a particularly snarky article around the time of the 1943 concert that dismissed the singer as “an opium of emotionalism.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025

So, when the anti-opium movement tried to constrain the British Empire from selling opium, the British deflected the blame onto the Chinese demand for it.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2024

British subversion and battlefield mastery not only effectively ended China’s opium prohibition, but it facilitated the British acquisition of Hong Kong.

From Salon • Oct. 19, 2023

They have improved domestic security through crackdowns on armed groups such as the Islamic State, and say they are fighting corruption and opium production.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 13, 2023

He poked fun at those who fled the city, at the power of opium to banish pain, and at the cruelty and indifference of those outside the city.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

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.