OPIATE Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

opiate 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of opiate

as in hypnotic

tending to cause sleep morphine is an opiate drug

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

opiate

2 of 2

noun

ˈō-pē-ət

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

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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

Of those, 38,514 were associated with fentanyl, a synthetic opiate, a 34% decrease from the year prior, according to the report. — Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 9 Feb. 2026 Some researchers, concerned by reports of antidepressant withdrawal, suggest that the underlying mechanisms are similar to those faced by people suffering from alcohol and opiate withdrawal. — David Cox, NBC news, 30 Nov. 2025

Noun

Two weeks prior, Francisco Manzo had started detoxing himself from opiates and was still experiencing symptoms of acute withdrawal syndrome and had not slept well, the attorney said. — Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026 Offering 99 percent accuracy for five different drugs, this drug test has exceptional sensitivity for detecting opiates in urine. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for opiate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for opiate

Adjective

Plus, all of the songs put you in a nearly hypnotic trance that forces you to count in your head or tap your foot along to the beats.

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 2 July 2026
There’s something hypnotic and ritualistic in it, something that can become almost shamanic, almost therapeutic — like a sound bath.

— Alma Rota, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026

Definition of hypnotic

Noun

Other monkeys, including some of the larger and more dominant macaques, had to be subdued with tranquilizer darts before they could be captured.

— Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
The worrisome drug withdrawal popping up in jails A powerful tranquilizer has started to accompany fentanyl in the country’s illicit opioid supply, and jails are struggling to handle the drug’s excruciating, complicated withdrawal symptoms.

— O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 26 June 2026

Definition of tranquilizer

Noun

Hospitals across the island face shortages of supplies including syringes, gauze, vaccines and anesthetics.

— Andrea Rodríguez, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
But the solution caused Peñaloza Cabrera to suffer lidocaine toxicity, a condition that occurs when excessive amounts of the anesthetic enter the bloodstream, causing seizures, irregular heart rhythm, respiratory failure and — as in the victim’s case — cardiac arrest.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 18 June 2026

Definition of anesthetic

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“Opiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opiate. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of opiate

adjective

noun

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