an·es·thet·ic
ˌa-nəs-ˈthe-tik 
1
: of, relating to, or capable of producing anesthesia
2
: lacking awareness or sensitivity
was anesthetic to their feelings
1
: a substance that produces anesthesia
2
: something that brings relief : palliative
Examples of anesthetic in a Sentence
Noun
The doctor gave him the stitches without an anesthetic.
the dentist waited until the anesthetic took effect
Recent Examples on the Web
Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2026
The album’s ideal love is anesthetic, a script for surviving daily chaos and tragedy that doesn’t require reciprocation.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026
ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
Perry, who had long struggled with addiction and wrote about it in a memoir, illegally obtained the powerful dissociative anesthetic from at least two sources.
—City News Service, Daily News, 13 May 2026
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Adjective
Right before his death, Jackson had been given the powerful anesthetic propofol by his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2026
The album’s ideal love is anesthetic, a script for surviving daily chaos and tragedy that doesn’t require reciprocation.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
The patient wouldn’t have had the benefit of modern anesthetics, but archaeological traces at other sites suggest Neanderthals knew about medicinal plants like chamomile and yarrow, as well as antiseptics like birch tar.
—ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
Perry, who had long struggled with addiction and wrote about it in a memoir, illegally obtained the powerful dissociative anesthetic from at least two sources.
—City News Service, Daily News, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for anesthetic
Cite this Entry
“Anesthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anesthetic. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
anesthetic
1 of 2 adjective
an·es·thet·ic
ˌan-əs-ˈthet-ik
: of, relating to, or capable of producing anesthesia
anesthetic
2 of 2 noun
: a substance that produces anesthesia in part or all of the body
Medical Definition
anesthetic
1 of 2 adjective
an·es·thet·ic
variants
or chiefly British anaesthetic
1
: capable of producing anesthesia
anesthetic agents
2
: of, relating to, or caused by anesthesia
an anesthetic effect
anesthetic symptoms
anesthetic
2 of 2 noun
variants
or chiefly British anaesthetic
: a substance that produces anesthesia
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