sedative
tending to calm or soothe.
allaying irritability or excitement; assuaging pain; lowering functional activity.
a sedative drug or agent.
Origin of sedative
1Other words from sedative
- un·sed·a·tive, adjective
Words Nearby sedative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sedative in a sentence
You can tell them that the procedure is generally quick and, barring a pinch when the sedative is given, is pain-free.
How at-home euthanasia can provide comfort to pets and owners | Kathryn Streeter | May 7, 2021 | Washington PostHospitals in Brazil are reportedly running out of sedatives.
As the U.S. Moves Toward Post-Pandemic Life, COVID-19 Is Still Devastating the World—Especially India | Jamie Ducharme | April 26, 2021 | TimeThey placed him in a chokehold and medical personnel who arrived later injected him with a heavy dose of a sedative.
The Verdict on Derek Chauvin: A New Ending to a Familiar Tale | Milton Coleman | April 26, 2021 | TruthBeTold.newsWomen threw themselves from the roof, shot themselves in the head, filled themselves with sedatives and hanged themselves from the curtain rods.
The hotel that nurtured ambitious women and their New York dreams | Mary Jo Murphy | March 26, 2021 | Washington PostThat could have been a sign of use of illegal fentanyl, a fast-acting sedative and powerful painkiller that produces feelings of euphoria.
At the heart of Derek Chauvin’s trial is this question: What killed George Floyd? | Lenny Bernstein, Holly Bailey | March 11, 2021 | Washington Post
Just as Palmer, taken in sixty-second doses, seems relaxed, so, measured over hours, he seems in need of a sedative.
At 6.23 p.m., a doctor administered the first drug, which corrections officials identified as the sedative midazolam.
Lethal Injection Leads to the Most Botched Executions | Austin Sarat, Robert Henry Weaver, Heather Richard | April 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOhio used a mix of midazolam, a sedative, with hydromorphone, a powerful narcotic.
What Happens to the Death Penalty When Lethal Injection Isn’t Quick and Painless? | Andrew Cohen | January 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOnly one thing seemed to calm his wanderlust: “I find an interesting book the only sedative,” he said.
They gave a sedative to Methos, the alpha-male wolf, because he seemed particularly anxious.
At New Jersey’s Turtle Back Zoo, Humans Slept Alongside the Pythons | Winston Ross | November 5, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTDorian was glad to take the sedative that promised oblivion from vexing thoughts.
They Looked and Loved | Mrs. Alex McVeigh MillerIt is no new propensity of animal nature, to find pleasure from the combination of a stimulant, and a sedative.
Pas-Avena is a widely advertised nerve sedative and hypnotic.
And added, "Indeed, what can we do for sorrow except give the body a sedative?"
Mary Gray | Katharine TynanI administer some orthodox verbal sedative, and change the subject.
Mystic London: | Charles Maurice Davies
British Dictionary definitions for sedative
/ (ˈsɛdətɪv) /
having a soothing or calming effect
of or relating to sedation
med a sedative drug or agent
Origin of sedative
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for sedative
[ sĕd′ə-tĭv ]
A drug having a calming or quieting effect, often given to reduce anxiety or to promote relaxation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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