anodyne

1 of 2

adjective

an·​o·​dyne ˈa-nə-ˌdīn How to pronounce anodyne (audio)
Synonyms of anodynenext
1
: serving to alleviate pain
the anodyne properties of certain drugs
2
: not likely to offend or arouse tensions : innocuous
… his speech contained a single anodyne reference to the man who preceded him.—John F. Burns

anodyne

2 of 2

noun

1
: something that soothes, calms, or comforts
The sweetness of sojourn there … was an anodyne for the sorrows the pilgrims had endured …—Amy Kelly
2
: a drug that allays pain

Did you know?

Anodyne came to English via Latin from Greek anṓdynos (meaning "free from pain, causing no pain, harmless, allaying pain"), and it has been used as both an adjective and a noun ("something that soothes, calms, or comforts") since the 16th century. It has sometimes been used of things that dull or lull the senses and render painful experiences less so. British statesman Edmund Burke used it this way, for example, in 1790 when he referred to flattery as an "anodyne draft of oblivion" that renders one (in this particular case, the deposed King Louis XVI) forgetful of the flatterer's true feelings. Nowadays, in addition to describing things that dull pain, anodyne can also refer to that which doesn't cause discomfort in the first place.

Synonyms

Adjective

Noun

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of anodyne in a Sentence

Adjective the otherwise anodyne comments sounded quite inflammatory when taken out of context Noun the dentist prescribed an anodyne after the root canal as an anodyne for the stress and superficiality of the modern world, there's nothing better than reading a literary classic of substance and insight
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Our thoughts, desires, and identities are mediated by the mechanisms of the market and anodyne commercial morality, which attempt to enclose common sense in order to control and exploit it. —Charlie Engman, ARTnews.com, 20 Sep. 2024 And second, the unflappable Fred Dent, who had served as secretary of commerce, and whose anodyne presence was required in the room when meetings ran late and tempers flared. —Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 17 Sep. 2024
Noun
The vision is an anodyne of rage. —Sasha Frere-Jones, Harper’s Magazine , 4 Nov. 2022 Peterson pauses, running his hand along the blue aluminum-anodyne actuator machined to match the length of Daniel’s right thigh. —John Brant, Popular Mechanics, 27 Apr. 2020 See all Example Sentences for anodyne 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anodyne.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Latin anōdynus "allaying pain," borrowed from Greek anṓdynos "free from pain, causing no pain, harmless, allaying pain," from an- an- + -ōdynos, adjective derivative (with compositional lengthening) of odýnē "pain," of uncertain origin

Note: In earlier etymological dictionaries (Frisk, Chantraine), odýnē is taken be a derivative, with a heteroclitic suffix *-ur-/*-un-, of the verbal base *h1ed- "eat" (see eat entry 1), with the assumed change of e > o by vowel assimilation before a following -u-; allegedly comparable are Armenian erkn "labor pains, grief," Old Irish idu "pain, pangs of childbirth." More recently a different hypothesis proposes that the base of odýnē is a verbal root *h3ed- "bite, sting," seen perhaps in Lithuanian úodas "gnat" (< *h3od-o-). (See R. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2010.)

Noun

borrowed from Latin anōdynum "something allaying pain," borrowed from Greek anṓdynon "freedom from pain," noun derivative of anṓdynos "free from pain, causing no pain, harmless, allaying pain" — more at anodyne entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of anodyne was in 1543

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Dictionary Entries Near anodyne

Anodonta

anodyne

anodyne necklace

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Cite this Entry

“Anodyne.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anodyne. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

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Medical Definition

anodyne

1 of 2 adjective
an·​o·​dyne ˈan-ə-ˌdīn How to pronounce anodyne (audio)
: serving to ease pain

anodyne

2 of 2 noun
: a drug that allays pain
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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