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tramadol

American  
[tram-uh-dawl, ‐-dol] / ˈtræm əˌdɔl, ‐ˌdɒl /

noun

Pharmacology.
  1. an opioid analgesic, C 16 H 25 NO 2 , used to treat moderate to severe pain.


Etymology

Origin of tramadol

First recorded in 1965–70; of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When the results were combined, the data showed that tramadol did reduce pain, but only slightly and not enough to meet standards for clinically effective relief.

From Science Daily • Dec. 25, 2025

Doctors welcomed the reduction in the use of tramadol, pregabalin, and diazepam, but they also stressed that more needed to be done to ensure people could access other pain treatments more quickly.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2024

The paper was funded by Grünenthal GmbH of Germany, a company that signed a deal in May 2018 to allow Mundipharma to market and distribute its tramadol product, Tramal, in China.

From The Guardian • Aug. 28, 2019

The following year, Food for the Poor sent to Guatemala a shipment of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin and the painkiller tramadol that it valued at $553,627—but whose value “using appropriate international prices” was “less than $46,000.”

From Slate • May 10, 2018

The emergency-room doctor suspected serotonin toxicity from the combination of tramadol and the SSRI.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 2, 2015