Word
sedative
Phoneticsseda·tive
US/ˈsɛdətɪv/
UK/sˈɛdətˌɪv/
Definition
adj. tending to make someone feel calm, relaxed, or sleepy.
adj. tending to soothe or tranquilize; describing a substance or influence that reduces functional activity.
Examples
“The doctor prescribed a mild sedative to help me sleep.”
“Before the MRI scan, the nurse administered a sedative to ensure the patient remained still during the procedure.”
“While the patient required a sedative to manage her anxiety, the medical team monitored her vital signs closely to ensure the medication did not cause excessive respiratory depression.”
Examples
simple
“The doctor prescribed a mild sedative to help me sleep.”
contextual
“Before the MRI scan, the nurse administered a sedative to ensure the patient remained still during the procedure.”
complex
“While the patient required a sedative to manage her anxiety, the medical team monitored her vital signs closely to ensure the medication did not cause excessive respiratory depression.”
Usage
Often modifies nouns like 'effect', 'quality', or 'influence'.
Real-World Examples
“For Belfort, the sedative caused time to fracture into a puddle of drool and spent willpower.” “Relatedly, one 2025 paper notes that off-label use of sedative antihistamines is an option for managing some PMDD sleep disturbances.” Etymology
Inherited from Middle English sedatif, from Anglo-Norman sedatif, from Medieval Latin sēdātīvus, which itself likely influenced the modern spelling.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.