Neuroleptic
adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An antipsychotic drug.
"The time has come, therefore, to establish some definite criteria for the new drugs that Delay called neuroleptics, of which chlorpromazine and reserpine are the primary ones, although chemically different."
- 2 tranquilizer used to treat psychotic conditions when a calming effect is desired wordnet
- 1 Having antipsychotic properties. not-comparable
"By mouth in doses of 2 to 3 grains, combined with neuroleptic drugs, it has enabled us to bring about a certain number of improvements in chronic schizophrenics."
Example
More examples"The time has come, therefore, to establish some definite criteria for the new drugs that Delay called neuroleptics, of which chlorpromazine and reserpine are the primary ones, although chemically different."
Etymology
Borrowed from French neuroleptique, coined by Jean Delay and Pierre Deniker in 1955. Constructed from Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron, “neuron”) and λῆψις (lêpsis), noun form of λαμβάνω (lambánō, “take hold of”).
Related phrases
More for "neuroleptic"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.