painkiller
Americannoun
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painkillers
plural
noun
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an analgesic drug or agent
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anything that relieves pain
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of painkiller
Explanation
A painkiller is a medicine that's used to dull or relieve pain, like the painkiller your dad gives you when you have a bad headache. Painkillers are meant to do exactly what their name says: to kill pain. You can also call this kind of medication an analgesic. These range from aspirin and acetaminophen, which are sold over the counter to treat minor aches and pains, to powerful anesthetics administered by doctors before surgery. If you get your wisdom teeth removed, you'll most likely need a painkiller during and after the procedure.
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:
Scientific research has not identified causality between taking the painkiller and the development of those conditions in children.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
A link hasn’t been proven, and major medical groups have long recommended acetaminophen as the preferable painkiller for pregnant women.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Anand, who accompanied them, led them to their first stop - a chemist because Anita had developed a migraine headache and wanted to buy a painkiller.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
He previously wrote about Samsung from Seoul, but in prior stints at the Journal's New York, Atlanta and Chicago offices, he covered Wall Street's biggest buyers, painkiller addiction, airlines and food.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026
“You seem in a good mood, Master Kilvin,” I said cautiously, wondering what painkiller he’d been given at the Medica.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Josh said the GP "found nothing wrong", prescribing more painkillers and referring him to an optician, where again no issue was found.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
In Pasadena, volunteers at the restaurant Chamo Venezuelan Cuisine collected supplies, issuing a special plea for bandages, gauze, painkillers and other over-the-counter medicines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
It’s clear painkillers are somewhat uncharted territory for Lilly—not a market where the company has established a presence in recent years or signaled any major plans.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
Kevin Liu, an oil and gas analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence, compared the SPR releases as a painkillers for the oil market.
From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026
After his surgery, he had resisted taking painkillers so he would be conscious for the phone calls from his son-in-law updating him every quarter on the score of the Permian-Midland Lee game.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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.
