Parasympathetic

//ˌpa.ɹə.sɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A parasympathetic nerve.
  2. 2
    originates in the brain stem and lower part of the spinal cord; opposes physiological effects of the sympathetic nervous system: stimulates digestive secretions; slows the heart; constricts the pupils; dilates blood vessels wordnet
  3. 3
    Ellipsis of parasympathetic nervous system. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or relating to the part of the autonomic nervous system that inhibits or opposes the effects of the sympathetic nervous system. It consists of nerves arising from the brain and the lower end of the spinal cord and supplying the internal organs, blood vessels, and glands. not-comparable, relational
Adjective
  1. 1
    of or relating to the parasympathetic nervous system wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
bulbosacralparasympathetic nervous systemparasympathetic nervous system

Example

More examples

"Technically, drugs that cause miosis can relieve the PNS effects of those causing mydriasis since sympathetic and parasympathetic stimulation tend to negate each others' effects."

Etymology

From para- (“beside, adjacent to”) + sympathetic, because some of these nerves run alongside sympathetic nerves.

Related phrases

parasympathetic nervous systemtrigemino-parasympatheticautonomic nervous systemsympathetic nervous system

More for "parasympathetic"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

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