adj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A drug, hormone or other substance derived from or related to opium.
2. 2
   a narcotic drug that contains opium or an opium derivative wordnet
3. 3
   Something that dulls the senses and induces a false and unrealistic sense of contentment.

   "They chose atheism as an opiate."

Verb

1. 1
   To treat with an opiate drug. transitive

Adjective

1. 1
   Relating to, resembling, or containing opium. not-comparable
2. 2
   Soporific; inducing sleep or sedation. not-comparable
3. 3
   Deadening; causing apathy or dullness. not-comparable

Synonyms

All synonyms

acceptalcoholamobarbital sodiumamytalamytal pillanalgesic

Example

More examples

"Religion is the opiate of the masses."

Etymology

From Middle English opiate, from Medieval Latin opiātus.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.