noun
fentanyl
FEHN-tuh-nihl
noun
1
A powerful synthetic opioid painkiller, far stronger than morphine, used medically but also widely abused and linked to overdose deaths.
"The hospital uses fentanyl patches for severe chronic pain."
"Illicit fentanyl mixed into other drugs has driven a sharp rise in overdose deaths."
How to Use Fentanyl
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA very potent opioid drug, legitimately used in medicine but notorious for its role in the overdose crisis when sold illegally.
When to use it
Frequently appears in both medical and news/public-health contexts.
Word Forms
fentanyls plural
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The hospital uses _____ patches for severe chronic pain.
Etymology
A coined pharmaceutical name built from "phenethyl" and "anilide," reflecting its chemical structure.