noun
opiate
OH-pee-uht
noun
1
A drug derived from opium, used medically to relieve pain or induce sleep.
"Doctors prescribe opiates cautiously because of the risk of addiction."
2
Something that dulls awareness or creates a false sense of calm or contentment.
"He called television "the opiate of the masses.""
adjective
1
Causing sleepiness or numbing sensation, like opium.
"The opiate effects of the medication made her drowsy all afternoon."
How to Use Opiate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA pain-relieving, sedating drug related to opium, or figuratively anything that numbs people into a false sense of ease.
Common mistake
"Opiate" strictly refers to natural opium derivatives (like morphine and codeine); "opioid" is the broader term including synthetic drugs, though the two are often used loosely as synonyms.
Easily confused with
opioid
Word Forms
opiated past tense, opiates plural, opiates singular
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Etymology
From Medieval Latin opiatus, ultimately from opium.