minor tranquilliser
- noun
- /ˈmaɪnər ˈtræŋkwəˌlaɪzər/
- Archaic
- The doctor prescribed a minor tranquilliser to help manage her anxiety before surgery.
Examples
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The doctor prescribed a minor tranquilliser to help with her anxiety.
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He became dependent on a minor tranquilliser after months of stressful work shifts.
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Although effective, prolonged use of minor tranquilliser medications can sometimes lead to addiction.
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Many patients find a minor tranquilliser useful for stress relief.
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The doctor prescribed a minor tranquilliser to help manage her anxiety during the stressful event.
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After struggling with intense pressure, she used a minor tranquilliser to calm her nerves and focus.
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He occasionally takes a minor tranquilliser before flights to ease his fear of flying.
Synonyms
A medicine that makes a person calmer and reduces worry or tension without making them sleepy
A medicine that makes you feel less anxious and tense
A medicine that makes worry and stress less without making you very sleepy
A drug that reduces worry and calms tension
A drug that reduces anxiety and makes you feel calmer
A drug that makes a person or animal calm and sleepy
How Sedating
Surface Forms
Morphology
minor + tranquilliser
The meaning 'a less potent drug used to relieve anxiety' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'minor' (indicating lesser degree/seriousness) with 'tranquilliser' (a drug that calms or reduces anxiety). This adjective + noun composition is a standard, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Minor tranquilliser comes from the words minor (meaning 'less strong') and tranquilliser (a drug that calms). Think of a small, gentle pill for everyday worry rather than a strong drug for serious problems, so the phrase means a milder medicine used to reduce anxiety.