Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Capable of soothing or eliminating pain.
- adjective Relaxing.
- noun A medicine, such as aspirin, that relieves pain.
- noun A source of soothing comfort.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Having power to relieve pain; hence, soothing to the feelings.
- noun A medicine or drug which relieves pain, as an opiate or a narcotic; hence, figuratively, anything that allays mental pain or distress.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Serving to assuage pain; soothing.
- noun Any medicine which allays pain, as an opiate or narcotic; anything that soothes disturbed feelings.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun pharmacology Any
medicine or otheragent that relieves pain. - noun figuratively A
source ofrelaxation orcomfort .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective capable of relieving pain
- noun a medicine used to relieve pain
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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HoF II was designed by the Taylor Morrison company, a home builder specializing in anodyne subdevelopmental housing in the Southwest.
Future Schlock P. J. O 2008
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HoF II was designed by the Taylor Morrison company, a home builder specializing in anodyne subdevelopmental housing in the Southwest.
Future Schlock P. J. O 2008
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Theyre's a band called anodyne that sounds pretty interesting playing tomorrow, and I talked to Big Jim about going. .but the Nor'easter has put those plans in jeopardy.
mesocyclone Diary Entry mesocyclone 2005
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It may be that the last new anodyne, which is warranted to have all the virtues and none of the ill-effects of opium, had also come to the end of _its_ tether.
Somehow Good William Frend De Morgan 1878
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A strong infusion or tea of the hop is one of the most valuable remedies we have for gravel, and inflammation of the kidneys and bladder, it is narcotic or anodyne, that is it alleviates pain and produces sleep.
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As a noun, the English "anodyne" means "something that relieves pain," as you said, and as an adjective it means "pain-relieving."
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As a noun, the English "anodyne" means "something that relieves pain," as you said, and as an adjective it means "pain-relieving."
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She had this quote in her convention speech, a kind of anodyne quote about how small towns are good.
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Any pretext for action was a kind of anodyne, and she despatched her maid to the Farlows 'with a note asking if Miss Viner would receive her.
The Reef; a novel 1912
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Any pretext for action was a kind of anodyne, and she despatched her maid to the Farlows 'with a note asking if Miss Viner would receive her.
The Reef Edith Wharton 1899
annajane commented on the word anodyne
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&start=0&oi=define&ei=3eUVR_HBKZ6ieZ7X9ZUI&sig2=KcKgi0IME1jb4JpVHstFOw&q=http://www.cncahealth.com/health-notes.htm%3FContentID%3D2107001&usg=AFQjCNF82uQHeUyMhV6vYHvkBtlZY5vMmg
October 17, 2007
seanahan commented on the word anodyne
Space, the final frontier.
October 18, 2007
treeseed commented on the word anodyne
The name of a great album by Uncle Tupelo.
Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville Records, before signing with Sire Records and expanding to a five-piece. Shortly after the release of the band's major label debut album Anodyne, Farrar announced his decision to leave the band due to a soured relationship with his co-songwriter Tweedy. Uncle Tupelo split on May 1, 1994, after completing a farewell tour. Following the breakup, Farrar formed Son Volt with Heidorn, while the remaining members continued as Wilco.
_Wikipedia
February 11, 2008
super-amber commented on the word anodyne
"The Lottery, with its weekly pay-out of enormous prizes, was the one public event to which the proles paid serious attention ... It was their delight, their folly, their anodyne, their intellectual stimulant ... the prizes were largely imaginary. Only small sums were actually paid out, the winners of the big prizes being non-existent persons." George Orwell, 1984
June 18, 2009
abby350 commented on the word anodyne
I think that people have been misusing anodyne, lately...to mean "harmless" in a sort of wet-noodly, pejorative sense. It's an interesting shift...implying that that which eliminates pain is without character...Has anybody else noticed this?
November 2, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word anodyne
"The little Bible was no stranger to fear and suffering, and if it wasn't ether, I hoped it might still possess its own power of anodyne."
—Diana Gabaldon, A Breath of Snow and Ashes (New York: Bantam Dell, 2005), 168
January 30, 2010
Arthurpod commented on the word anodyne
"The swelling night seemed full of the soft communions--anodynes for the loneliness of the dark."
Lord Foul's Bane
July 30, 2012
gloame commented on the word anodyne
This word also means "inoffensive on purpose", often in a condescending way.
October 5, 2013