noun

anesthetic

a-nuhs-THEH-tihk

noun

A drug used to stop pain or cause unconsciousness for a medical procedure.

"The surgeon administered the anesthetic before making the first incision."

"A local anesthetic numbed the area around the wound."

adj

Causing loss of sensation or reducing pain.

"The cream has a mild anesthetic effect on sore muscles."

How to Use Anesthetic

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither the pain-blocking drug itself, or an adjective describing something that blocks pain.

Common pairings

local anesthetic general anesthetic anesthetic gas

anesthetical adjective, anesthetical adjective, more anesthetic comparative, anesthetics plural, most anesthetic superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

The surgeon administered the _____ before making the first incision.

From Greek an- ("without") + aisthetikos ("able to feel") — describing something that removes feeling.

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