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anodyne

anodyne

1 8.6
A medicine that relieves pain
  • noun
  • /ˈænəˌdaɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : analgésico
  • She was a straightforward, no-nonsense sort of woman who, like many of the physicians I first encountered in California, believed in a combination of medical treatment and life changes as the anodyne to progressive disease.

Examples

  •   Anodyne, all right?

  • In a world of din without meaning, entertainment without depth, light without illumination, and art without beauty, the view from the Top of the World is an uncluttered, clear anodyne for the soul.

    Blog text (32)
  • Appetite was his natural state; eating was his anodyne.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Or was fashion once again a masturbatory anodyne?

    Academic text (1991)
  • And then, those little anodynes That deaden suffering;

  • The body and mind have pains we know well and anodynes we swallow readily, but the soul has pain, too, and there are fewer things on the shelves for it.

    Blog text (24)
  • In its place, there have been stoicism and resignation, the great anodynes of humanity, and visions of an afterlife, its great consolatory fantasy.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The key to cashing in on the attention is to build for the latter types the kinds of things they require (hotel rooms with Wi-Fi, thoughtful food) without driving away the former and turning the place into another anodyne anywhere, bleached of the culture that made it interesting in the first place.

    Blog text (27)
  • The lure of particularism is that it offers a less complicated anodyne, one in which the children's academic deficiencies may be addressed or set aside by inflating their racial pride.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The doctor prescribed an anodyne to help manage her chronic pain.

Synonyms

painkiller
vsanodyne
103 2.6

Medicine you take to reduce pain

is an alternative general term for the same medicine
opioid
vsanodyne
  • NSFW
33 5.1

A drug that eases pain by acting on the body's pain system and can cause addiction

is a general pain medicine not restricted to that receptor action
pain pill
vsanodyne
  • US
15 1.1

A tablet you take to make body pain less

is a broader term that also covers non-pill pain relievers
oxycodone
vsanodyne
  • Specialized
14 6.1

A strong pain medicine a doctor gives to relieve moderate to severe pain

is the broader category for pain medicines not limited to strong opioids
analgesic
vsanodyne
  • Specialized
5 5.5

A medicine that reduces pain without putting you to sleep

is broader and can include stronger drugs that cause unconsciousness
Vicodin
vsanodyne
  • Specialized
1 6.6

A prescription pain medicine containing hydrocodone and acetaminophen for strong pain

is a general pain medicine label not tied to that specific combination
flurbiprofen
vsanodyne
  • Specialized
8.0

A pain medicine taken by mouth that reduces swelling and pain

is a general pain medicine not limited to anti-inflammatory drugs
Ansaid
vsanodyne
  • Specialized
8.3

A pain medicine you swallow to reduce pain and swelling

is the general term for pain relief rather than that specific product

How Strong

opioid
  • NSFW
33 5.1
painkiller
103 2.6
analgesic
  • Specialized
2 6.2
anodyne
  • Specialized
1 8.6

Surface Forms

anodyne singular
anodynes plural

Morphology

anodyne = an + odyne

Although historically analyzable as a negative prefix + root meaning 'pain', the components are not productive English morphemes and the form is not transparently interpretable by average learners.

Etymology

Anodyne comes from Greek parts an- meaning 'not' and odyne meaning 'pain', so it literally means 'no pain'. As a noun, an anodyne is a 'pain-killer' medicine that eases pain.