sedation
Americannoun
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the calming of mental excitement or abatement of physiological function, especially by the administration of a drug.
-
the state so induced.
noun
-
a state of calm or reduced nervous activity
-
the administration of a sedative
Other Word Forms
- oversedation noun
Etymology
Origin of sedation
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin sēdātiōn-, stem of sēdātiō; equivalent to sedate + -ion
Explanation
Sedation is either the state of being relaxed or sleepy because of a drug, or the act of drugging someone with a sedative. Sedatives are drugs that people take to relax or fall asleep, and sedation has two related meanings. Sedation can be the condition of someone who has taken a sedative. You're in a state of sedation if you're relaxed, mellow, sleepy, or low-key because of a drug. Also, sedation can be the action of doctors or nurses in calming someone through drugs. A nurse may put a patient under sedation if they can't sleep. Sedation is an act of drugging.
Vocabulary lists containing sedation
Ugly
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Return to Sender
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All Thirteen
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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.
In it, she said the medical director of Euracare had told Adichie her son "had received too much sedation", which subsequently caused him to have a heart attack.
From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026
These adverse events included dizziness, sedation, and nausea, with increases described as moderate to large.
From Science Daily • Dec. 30, 2025
I was constantly looking outside myself for both stimulation and sedation.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2025
Kotcheff’s daughter Kate Kotcheff said via email that he died peacefully while under sedation Thursday night in a hospital in Nuevo Nayarit, Mexico.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2025
Only in two ways could I account for it: sedation and seasickness.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
