tranquilize

verb

tran·​quil·​ize ˈtraŋ-kwə-ˌlīz How to pronounce tranquilize (audio)
ˈtran-
variants or less commonly tranquillize
tranquilized also tranquillized; tranquilizing also tranquillizing
Synonyms of tranquilizenext

transitive verb

: to make tranquil or calm : pacify
especially : to relieve of mental tension and anxiety by means of drugs

intransitive verb

1
: to become tranquil : relax sense 1
2
: to make one tranquil

Synonyms of tranquilize

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of tranquilize in a Sentence

They tranquilized the bear with a dart so that it could be safely moved to a different area. at long last the crying baby was tranquilized by the steady rocking of her cradle
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In 2024, an attempt was made to tranquilize the lenient evaluations. — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2026 In 2019, a young bear that had apparently trekked from the hills near Vacaville was tranquilized on campus. — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 15 May 2026 The mountain lion was tranquilized and removed to be relocated, the publication said. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2026 He was tranquilized from approximately 20 meters — about 66 feet — away. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tranquilize

Word History

First Known Use

1623, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of tranquilize was in 1623

Rhymes for tranquilize

See All Rhymes for tranquilize

Browse Nearby Words

tranquilization
tranquilize
tranquilizer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tranquilize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tranquilize. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

tranquilize

verb
tran·​quil·​ize
variants also tranquillize
ˈtraŋ-kwə-ˌlīz How to pronounce tranquilize (audio)
ˈtran-
tranquilized also tranquillized; tranquilizing also tranquillizing
: to make or become tranquil or relaxed
especially : to ease the nervous tension and anxiety of usually by means of drugs

Medical Definition

tranquilize

transitive verb
tran·​quil·​ize
variants or chiefly British tranquillize or tranquillise
ˈtraŋ-kwə-ˌlīz, ˈtran- How to pronounce tranquilize (audio)
tranquilized or chiefly British tranquilized or tranquilised; tranquilizing or chiefly British tranquilizing or tranquilising
: to make tranquil or calm
especially : to relieve of mental tension and anxiety by means of drugs
tranquilization noun
or chiefly British tranquillization or tranquillisation
ˌtraŋ-kwə-lə-ˈzā-shən, ˌtran- How to pronounce tranquilize (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on tranquilize

Nglish: Translation of tranquilize for Spanish Speakers

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All