anesthetic
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
A substance administered to reduce the perception of pain or to induce numbness for surgery and may render the recipient unconscious.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
anuhsthehtikSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ænəsˈθɛtɪk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
American spellingmedicine
A substance administered to reduce the perception of pain or to induce numbness for surgery and may render the recipient unconscious.
adjective
Causing anesthesia; reducing pain sensitivity.
Insensate: unable to feel, or unconscious.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (American spelling, medicine) A substance administered to reduce the perception of pain or to induce numbness for surgery and may render the recipient unconscious.
Used this way, anesthetic is a word tied to one variety of English with a faintly unfavourable edge. This is a clinical use: it belongs to medical description, where it is factual rather than emotive.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Regional
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Clinical and detached
Where it naturally appears
- Medicine/healthcare
- Science
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
Mainly used in American English, so it may read as unusual elsewhere.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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