antiadrenergic

9.9

A drug or medicine that reduces the effect of adrenaline and similar body chemicals

adjective
/ˌæntiˌædrenˈɜrdʒɪk/

Specialized

: antiadrenérgico

The doctor prescribed an antiadrenergic medication to help lower his blood pressure.

Examples

Many antiadrenergic drugs are used to treat high blood pressure by blocking the effects of adrenaline.
Some antihypertensive medicines have antiadrenergic properties that reduce heart rate.
Researchers are studying how antiadrenergic drugs affect anxiety disorders.
The doctor prescribed an antiadrenergic medication to lower her blood pressure.
Is this antiadrenergic drug effective for anxiety?
The doctor prescribed an antiadrenergic medication to help reduce his heart rate and improve his cardiovascular health.
In clinical studies, antiadrenergic treatments have shown promise in alleviating symptoms of anxiety.

Antonyms

adrenergic

Specialized

9.8

A drug that acts like adrenaline to raise heart rate and blood pressure

Surface Forms

antiadrenergic positive

Morphology

antiadrenergic = adrenergic (semi-transparent) = anti + adren + ergic

The word is formed by standard prefixation with anti-, so the blocking or opposing meaning follows directly from the base adjective.

Etymology

Antiadrenergic begins with anti- meaning 'against' and ends with adrenergic, which comes from adrenaline, the body chemical for 'fight or flight'. So an antiadrenergic drug works 'against adrenaline' and reduces its effects, for example slowing the heart or lowering blood pressure.