opiate 1 of 2

opiate

2 of 2

noun

as in narcotic
something that soothes, calms, or induces passivity or a sense of security a cultural critic who argues that the Internet has now joined television as an opiate of the American people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of opiate
Adjective
When European settlers arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries, many used marijuana as an ingredient in medicine for ailments like cholera, alcoholism, opiate addiction and asthma, according to the Rockefeller Institute of Government. Greta Cross, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025 In the Portland area, health officials said 56% of cases were among people experiencing homelessness and 55% of cases reported methamphetamine and/or opiate usage. Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2025
Noun
Ventura said the hip-hop mogul was once addicted to opiates and overdosed in 2012. Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 15 May 2025 Both my niece and then later my sister reached out to me because my niece has been using opiates heavily which cost her a job and almost led to her being incarcerated. R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for opiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opiate
Adjective
  • Viewers will nonetheless find themselves under the series’ hypnotic hold.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 22 May 2025
  • 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
  • Ulbricht had been given a life sentence in 2015 for multiple charges, including conspiracy to distribute narcotics and money laundering.
    Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
  • But the agency has recently renewed a push to tighten security around mail citing a smuggling tactic where pages of letters or books are soaked with narcotics.
    Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 28 May 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Opiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opiate. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on opiate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!