tranquilizer

or tran·quil·liz·er

[ trang-kwuh-lahy-zer ]

noun

1. a person or thing that tranquilizes.
2. a drug that has a sedative or calming effect without inducing sleep.
3. antianxiety drug.
4. antipsychotic ( def 2 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of tranquilizer¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; tranquilize + -er ¹

Example Sentences

In the park, the medical outreach team handed out glass pipes and test kits that can detect fentanyl or veterinary tranquilizer in drugs before they’re consumed, possibly saving lives.

From Los Angeles Times

He was, so they moved on to a young man who’d been hit by a car while riding his bike, and then to several people with festering ulcers on their arms and legs, a common side-effect of “tranq,” the veterinary tranquilizer that’s been showing up in street drugs.

From Los Angeles Times

Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer which has caused chaos on the streets of Philadelphia, is now being found across the pond in bootleg codeine, tramadol, Valium and Xanax.

From Salon

Between 2016 to 2023, the company sold 11 kilos of fentanyl precursor and two kilos of xylazine — an animal tranquilizer often mixed with fentanyl — to an American buyer and falsely labeled the drugs as furniture, makeup, vases and apparel, according to the indictment.

From Los Angeles Times

Cocaine might be spiked with fentanyl, and fentanyl might be spiked with the veterinary tranquilizer Xylazine, or “tranq” —all of which elevates the possibility of bad reactions.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• opiate
• sedative