Pharmacology Terminology

verb to make or become less sensitive, intense, or active

• The doctor prescribed a medication to deaden the pain in her knee.
• I used earplugs to deaden the sound of the construction next door.
• He drank so much to deaden his emotions after the breakup.
• The constant criticism began to deaden her spirit over time.

noun a drug or substance that reduces functional or nervous activity

adjective relating to or causing a decrease in functional or nervous activity

• Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that slows down brain function.
• I heard that Xanax is a depressant, so be careful with it.
• I can't believe he's still taking those downers, they're such strong depressants.
• The rainy weather has a depressant effect on my mood.

noun a drug or other substance affecting mood or behavior and sold for nonmedical purposes, especially an illegal one

adjective relating to or denoting narcotics or their effects

• The doctor prescribed a narcotic painkiller to manage the patient's post-operative pain.
• I heard that some people abuse narcotics to get high.
• I can't believe he's still hooked on that narcotic stuff.
• Her love for him was like a narcotic, addictive and all-consuming.

noun a small, precise amount of a substance, especially a drug, that is intended to produce a specific effect

verb none

adjective none

adverb none

pronoun none

preposition none

conjunction none

interjection none

article none

• Some people believe that a microdose of certain substances can have therapeutic effects.
• I heard that taking a microdose of mushrooms can enhance your creativity.
• I'm thinking about microdosing LSD to see if it helps with my anxiety.
• She took a microdose of courage before giving her presentation.

noun a fictional or made-up word with no specific definition

• The medical team used drugalyse to analyze the effects of the new medication on the patients.
• I heard they're using drugalyse to see how the new drug works.
• The doctors are running some drugalyse tests to check out the new meds.
• She could drugalyse the situation and see that something was not right.

noun a substance that has been absorbed or taken in by another substance

• The absorbate solution was carefully analyzed in the laboratory.
• I spilled some absorbate on the floor, can you help me clean it up?
• I accidentally got absorbate on my shirt and now it won't come off!
• His mind was like an absorbate, soaking up every detail of the lecture.

noun a word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance, or quality (e.g. absorption, pipette)

• The scientist carefully used the absorption pipette to measure the exact volume of the liquid sample.
• I always make sure to use the absorption pipette when I need to transfer small amounts of liquid.
• Dude, pass me that absorption pipette so I can do some precise measurements.
• Her words were like an absorption pipette, carefully extracting the truth from the situation.

noun a type of drug that combines the effects of an acronym and a narcotic

• The use of acronarcotic drugs is strictly prohibited by law.
• I heard that guy got caught with some acronarcotic substances.
• Don't mess with acronarcotic stuff, it's dangerous.
• His addiction to acronarcotic substances was like a dark cloud hanging over his life.