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stimulant drug

stimulant drug

1 4.5
A drug that makes the body or mind more active for a short time
  • noun
  • /ˈstɪmjʊlənt drʌg/
  • Specialized
translation icon : droga estimulante
  • Stimulant drug therapy for hyperactivity includes such side effects as insomnia and appetite loss.
  • take stimulant drugs
  • stimulant drugs such as Ritalin

So they may be prone to using stimulant drugs to prop up their egos when they feel vulnerable.

Examples

  • We'd like you to think about a stimulant drug treatment for Justin.

  • Stimulant drugs such as Ritalin affect that balance by increasing the amount of time that catecholamine molecules remain active in certain synapses.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Performance on intelligence tests does not seem to be affected by stimulant drugs.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The prescription of stimulant drugs is the most common treatment for children with ADHD.

    Academic text (1997)
  • And this growth in the number of diagnosed cases is accompanied by a dramatic increase in the last decade in the use of certain stimulant drugs to treat the symptoms of the disorder.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Amphetamines such as Ritalin and other stimulant drugs seem to have a paradoxical calming effect on hyperactive children.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Studies conducted during the mid-seventies to early eighties by Judith Rapaport of the National Institutes of Mental Health clearly showed that stimulant drugs improve the performance of most people, regardless of whether they have a diagnosis of ADHD, on tasks requiring good attention.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The prescription of stimulant drugs is the most common treatment for children with ADHD.

  • Caffeine is a stimulant drug, although legal, and adults use it widely to perk themselves up.

  • Stimulant drug therapy for hyperactivity includes such side effects as insomnia and appetite loss.

Synonyms

Ritalin
vsstimulant drug
  • Specialized
31 4.6

A medicine that helps people with ADHD pay attention

is the general temporary activity increase concept, not a specific brand medicine
amphetamine
vsstimulant drug
  • NSFW
30 7.2

A drug made by people that speeds up the brain, treats ADHD and narcolepsy, and is sometimes misused

is a general temporary activator rather than a specific central nervous system compound
stimulant
vsstimulant drug
  • Specialized
27 4.9

A drug that makes the body and mind more active for a short time

is limited to medicines intended to raise bodily or mental activity
methylphenidate
vsstimulant drug
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A medicine that helps people who have trouble paying attention or who suddenly fall asleep

is the broad category of temporary activity increases, not a single medical compound
excitant
vsstimulant drug
  • Specialized
9.9

A medicine or substance that makes the body more active for a short time

also covers temporary increases in mental activity not only vital body processes
adrenergic drug
vsstimulant drug
  • Specialized
6.9

A drug that acts like adrenaline to make the heart beat faster and open the airways

expresses a general temporary activity increase without specifying this specific hormone action
methylenedioxymethamphetamine
vsstimulant drug
  • NSFW
9.9

A man-made drug that makes people feel more energetic, happy, and close to others

is focused on short physiological or mental activation rather than emotional or recreational effects

Antonyms

depressant
  • Specialized
6 5.5

A drug like alcohol that slows brain activity and makes you calmer

How Stimulating

methamphetamine
  • NSFW
30 8.6
amphetamine
  • NSFW
30 7.2
stimulant drug
  • Specialized
1 4.5
nicotine
347 4.9
caffeine
138 2.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

stimulant + drug

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'stimulant' (a substance that raises physiological activity) with 'drug' (a chemical/medicinal substance); a learner who knows both constituents can infer 'a drug that temporarily increases physiological or mental activity.' This follows a regular noun-modifier composition common cross-linguistically and is therefore predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Stimulant drug comes from a simple image: long ago a 'stimulant' was like a stick used to poke animals to make them move, so it came to mean something that 'wakes up' or 'speeds up'. A drug is a substance, so a stimulant drug is a substance that temporarily 'wakes you up' or 'speeds your body or mind up'.