analgesia
Americannoun
noun
-
inability to feel pain
-
the relief of pain
Usage
What does analgesia mean? Analgesia is a lessening of pain or the absence of pain. It’s usually used in the context of medicine as a more technical way of saying pain relief. The related word analgesic refers to a remedy that reduces or relieves pain. It especially refers to pain relief medicine, such as acetaminophen or NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen. Analgesic can also be used as an adjective describing things that have pain-relieving effects, as in the analgesic properties of certain herbs. Example: The study determined that the medication can interfere with analgesia in certain patients.
Etymology
Origin of analgesia
1700–10; < New Latin < Greek analgēsía painlessness, equivalent to análgēt ( os ) without pain ( an- an- 1 + álg ( os ) pain + -ētos adj. suffix) + -ia -ia
Explanation
Analgesia is the absence of pain. However, the person in that state is still conscious. If you've ever broken a bone or had a severe injury, you might have taken painkillers. A good painkiller can produce analgesia: a condition in which you're conscious but pain-free. If you suffer from headaches, stomachaches, bad knees, a sore back, or any other kind of pain, analgesia is a state you'd like to be in. People with chronic pain never get to experience analgesia. Anything that relieves pain can be called an analgesic.
Vocabulary lists containing analgesia
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.
Veterinarians use xylazine on its own for sedation, muscle relaxation, and analgesia.
From Slate • May 12, 2024
I ordered the nurse to administer an IV anti-inflammatory and nausea medication, gradually stepping up the strength of analgesia while hoping to use the minimum needed.
From Washington Post • Mar. 9, 2018
When flight or fight is possible, motor programs for running or fighting are activated, the arousal system is switched to a high-energy setting and nonopioid analgesia is switched on.
From Scientific American • Aug. 4, 2017
Endorphins form part of the body's natural mechanism for managing pain, providing analgesia by reducing the perception of pain.
From Nature • Jul. 12, 2016
But analgesia was in its infancy in the 1930s.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
