Standard Lemma guide

narcotic

adj · noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /nɑːˈkɒtɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /nɑɹˈkɑtɪk/
  • Canada, General-American: [nɑɹˈkɑɾɪk]
  • Australian: /nɐːˈkɔtɪk/
  • New-Zealand: /nɐːˈkɒtək/
  • New-Zealand: [nɐːˈkɔ̟tək]
  • rhymes with -ɒtɪk
  • CMU ARPABET: N AA0 R K AA1 T IH0 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, or relating to narcotics.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: narcotics

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Inducing sleep; causing narcosis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, pharmacology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Any substance or drug that reduces pain, induces sleep and may alter mood or behaviour; in some contexts, especially in reference to the opiates-and-opioids class, especially in reference to illegal drugs, and often both.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, pharmacology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Any type of numbing or soothing drug.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective

Meaning 5

of or relating to or designating narcotics

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • narcotic addicts
  • narcotic stupor

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

inducing mental lethargy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a narcotic speech

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: soporiferous, soporific

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

inducing stupor or narcosis

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • narcotic drugs

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: narcotizing, narcotising

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

a drug that produces numbness or stupor; often taken for pleasure or to reduce pain; extensive use can lead to addiction

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: drug

Narrower terms: hard drug, meperidine, meperidine hydrochloride, Demerol, methadone, methadone hydrochloride, methadon, dolophine hydrochloride, fixer, synthetic heroin, opiate, opium, recreational drug, soft drug

History

Etymology

From Middle French narcotique or German narkotisch and directly from Medieval Latin narcōticus, from Ancient Greek ναρκωτῐκός (narkōtĭkós).

From Middle English narcotyk, from Middle French narcotique (from Old French narcotique, noun use of adjective) and directly from Medieval Latin narcōticum, from Ancient Greek ναρκωτῐκόν (narkōtĭkón), neuter of ναρκωτῐκός (narkōtĭkós), from Ancient Greek ναρκόω (narkóō, “to benumb”), from νάρκη (nárkē, “numbness, torpor”).

Across languages

Translations

92 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: наркаты́чны (narkatýčny) — related to narcotics
  • Bulgarian: наркотичен (narkotičen) — related to narcotics
  • Estonian: narkootiline — related to narcotics
  • Estonian: narko- — related to narcotics
  • Georgian: ნარკოტიკული (narḳoṭiḳuli) — related to narcotics
  • German: narkotisch — related to narcotics
  • Greek: ναρκωτικός (narkotikós) — related to narcotics
  • Kazakh: есірткі (esırtkı) — related to narcotics
  • Norwegian Bokmål: narkotisk — related to narcotics
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: narkotisk — related to narcotics
  • Polish: narkotyczny — related to narcotics
  • Polish: narkotykowy — related to narcotics
  • Russian: наркоти́ческий (narkotíčeskij) — related to narcotics
  • Swedish: narkotisk — related to narcotics
  • Ukrainian: наркоти́чний (narkotýčnyj) — related to narcotics
  • Bulgarian: приспивателен (prispivatelen) — sleep inducing
  • Estonian: narkootiline — sleep inducing
  • German: narkotisch — sleep inducing
  • Greek: ναρκωτικός (narkotikós) — sleep inducing
  • Norwegian Bokmål: narkotisk — sleep inducing
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: narkotisk — sleep inducing
  • Polish: narkotyczny — sleep inducing
  • Romanian: narcotic — sleep inducing
  • Russian: наркоти́ческий (narkotíčeskij) — sleep inducing
  • Scottish Gaelic: suainealach — sleep inducing
  • Swedish: narkotisk — sleep inducing
  • Arabic: مُخَدِّر (muḵaddir) — class of drugs
  • Armenian: թմրամիջոց (tʻmramiǰocʻ) — class of drugs
  • Armenian: նարկոտիկ (narkotik) — class of drugs
  • Belarusian: нарко́тык (narkótyk) — class of drugs
  • Bulgarian: наркоти́к (narkotík) — class of drugs
  • Chinese Mandarin: 麻醉劑 /麻醉剂 (mázuìjì) — class of drugs
  • Crimean Tatar: narkotik — class of drugs
  • Czech: narkotikum — class of drugs
  • Dutch: narcotica — class of drugs
  • Dutch: verdovende middel — class of drugs
  • Estonian: narkootikum — class of drugs
  • Estonian: uimasti — class of drugs
  • Estonian: droog — class of drugs
  • Finnish: unilääke — class of drugs
  • French: narcotique — class of drugs
  • Georgian: ნარკოტიკი (narḳoṭiḳi) — class of drugs
  • German: Narkotikum — class of drugs
  • Greek: ναρκωτικό (narkotikó) — class of drugs
  • Hindi: मादक (mādak) — class of drugs
  • Indonesian: narkotika — class of drugs
  • Italian: narcotico — class of drugs
  • Japanese: 麻薬 (mayaku) — class of drugs
  • Kazakh: есірткі (esırtkı) — class of drugs
  • Kazakh: есірткіш (esırtkış) — class of drugs
  • Kazakh: еліткіш (elıtkış) — class of drugs
  • Korean: 마약 (mayak) — class of drugs
  • Lao: ຢາເສບຕິດ (yā sēp tit) — class of drugs
  • Macedonian: наркотик (narkotik) — class of drugs
  • Malay: narkotik — class of drugs
  • Māori: pūroi — class of drugs
  • Māori: rongoā whakarehu — class of drugs
  • Māori: whakapōauau — class of drugs
  • Māori: pōau — class of drugs
  • Iranian Persian: مُخَدِّر (moxadder) — class of drugs
  • Polish: narkotyk — class of drugs
  • Romanian: narcotică — class of drugs
  • Russian: нарко́тик (narkótik) — class of drugs
  • Serbo-Croatian: нарко̀тик — class of drugs
  • Serbo-Croatian: narkòtik — class of drugs
  • Slovak: narkotikum — class of drugs
  • Spanish: estupefaciente — class of drugs
  • Swedish: narkotika — class of drugs
  • Swedish: knark — class of drugs
  • Tagalog: narkotiko — class of drugs
  • Tajik: воситаи нашъадор (vosita-yi naš'ador) — class of drugs
  • Thai: ยาเสพติด (yaa-sèep-dtìt) — class of drugs
  • Thai: สารเสพติด — class of drugs
  • Ukrainian: нарко́тик (narkótyk) — class of drugs
  • Urdu: نَشَہ (naśa) — class of drugs
  • Uyghur: ناركوتىك (narkotik) — class of drugs
  • Vietnamese: ma túy — class of drugs
  • Finnish: huumausaine — numbing drug
  • French: narcotique — numbing drug
  • Greek: ναρκωτικό (narkotikó) — numbing drug
  • Greek: αναισθητικό (anaisthitikó) — numbing drug
  • Interlingua: narcotico — numbing drug
  • Italian: narcotico — numbing drug
  • Māori: pūroi — numbing drug
  • Polish: narkotyk — numbing drug
  • Portuguese: narcótico — numbing drug
  • Romanian: narcotică — numbing drug
  • Russian: нарко́тик (narkótik) — numbing drug
  • Spanish: narcótico — numbing drug
  • Swedish: narkotika — numbing drug
  • Swedish: knark — numbing drug
  • Tagalog: narkotiko — numbing drug
Real reading context

narcotic in complete knowledge articles