1
as in relaxing
tending to calm the emotions and relieve stress
some therapists believe that certain scents can have a narcotic effect on people
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hypnotic
tending to cause sleep
the lecturer droned on in a narcotic monotone that eventually had the entire class struggling to stay awake
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as in opiate
something that soothes, calms, or induces passivity or a sense of security
an irradicable sense of self-righteousness seems to be the narcotic that inures these religious fanatics from any realization of the harm they have done
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Recent Examples of narcotic
Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025
She was given two years probation for each count, while two additional charges — a felony count of narcotic drug possession and misdemeanor count of drug paraphernalia possession — were dismissed.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025
The only categories of crime brought to the district attorney’s office that have fallen are felony burglary, felony motor vehicle theft, and felony narcotics, which decreased by 13%, 10%, and 2%, respectively.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for narcotic
Adjective
Arthur Boyd, 57, pleaded guilty in February to dealing in a narcotic drug.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025
She was given two years probation for each count, while two additional charges — a felony count of narcotic drug possession and misdemeanor count of drug paraphernalia possession — were dismissed.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Noun
Most felony narcotics cases are filed directly by police.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025
The only categories of crime brought to the district attorney’s office that have fallen are felony burglary, felony motor vehicle theft, and felony narcotics, which decreased by 13%, 10%, and 2%, respectively.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for narcotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narcotic
Adjective
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Viewers will nonetheless find themselves under the series’ hypnotic hold.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
22 May 2025
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Ramsay, working with master cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, builds a world of images that’s hypnotic one minute and jolting you awake the next.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
21 May 2025
Noun
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The child tested positive for fentanyl and opiates, officials said.—
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2025
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According to federal experts, fentanyl can be made cheaply and in large quantities in labs, and is far more potent than natural opiates like heroin or morphine.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
Noun
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The amount of fentanyl appears to be dropping (see above), while the amount of animal tranquilizers, such as medetomidine and xylazine, is rising.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
24 Mar. 2025
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In 1980, Gallup asked whether Americans would object strongly to some presidential behaviors, including using tranquilizers occasionally (36% did), seeing a psychiatrist (30%), wearing jeans occasionally in the Oval Office (21%) and having a cocktail before dinner each night (14%).—
Karlyn Bowman,
Forbes.com,
5 May 2025
Noun
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An anesthetic used to induce sleep before and after surgery, according to Cleveland Clinic, ketamine is also used illegally as a recreational drug.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2025
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For other procedures, options vary but can include, for example, local anesthetics such as topical or injected anesthetics, NSAIDs and other medications such as misoprostol.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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As soothing as that may sound, fun is really the theme.—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2025
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To help replenish healthy-looking skin while preventing irritation from the potent star ingredient, there’s a soothing and moisturizing blend of hyaluronic acid and shea butter.—
Deanna Pai,
Glamour,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Narcotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narcotic. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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