: a sedative agent or drug
Examples of sedative in a Sentence
Adjective
some people find a glass of wine to be a civilized and sedative addition to an evening meal
Noun
The patient was given a powerful sedative.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ben Tinker, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
In any case, chamomile flowers—which look like adorable, tiny daisies—contain flavonoids, terpenoids, and coumarins which certainly have mildly sedative, anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic properties.
—Valentina Bottoni, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2024
Heather Hansman, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2025
Terry was found to have died of an overdose of insulin and the sedative promethazine, the medical examiner ruled.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sedative
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Adjective
Saltz: Lorazepam is in the class of medications called benzodiazepines, which is a depressant, and also sometimes referred to as a sedative hypnotic medication.
—Ben Tinker, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
In any case, chamomile flowers—which look like adorable, tiny daisies—contain flavonoids, terpenoids, and coumarins which certainly have mildly sedative, anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic properties.
—Valentina Bottoni, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2024
Noun
In that maelstrom, several patients were given doses of sedatives that ultimately killed them, and Fink’s account revolves around those decisions and the criminal allegations that arose after the crisis.
—Heather Hansman, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2025
Terry was found to have died of an overdose of insulin and the sedative promethazine, the medical examiner ruled.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sedative
Cite this Entry
“Sedative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sedative. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sedative
1 of 2 adjective
sed·a·tive
ˈsed-ət-iv 
: tending to calm or to ease tension
sedative
2 of 2 noun
: a sedative medicine
Medical Definition
sedative
1 of 2 adjective
sed·a·tive
ˈsed-ət-iv
: tending to calm, moderate, or tranquilize nervousness or excitement
sedative effects of anesthetics and analgesics—Linda C. Haynes et al.
Linda C. Haynes et al.sedative
2 of 2 noun
: a sedative agent or drug
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