Standard Lemma guide

phenylephrine

noun · 2 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: /ˌfiː.nʌɪlˈɛf.ɹɪn/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌfɛn.ɪlˈɛf.ɹɪn/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌfiː.nʌɪlˈɛf.ɹiːn/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌfɛn.ʌɪlˈɛf.ɹiːn/
  • General-American: /ˌfɛn.əlˈɛf.ɹiːn/
  • General-American: /ˌfɛn.əlˈɛf.ɹɪn/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An α-adrenergic receptor agonist related to adrenaline, used as a vasoconstrictor and nasal decongestant; 3-(1-hydroxy-2-methylamino-ethyl)phenol, with the formula C9H13NO2.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: medicine, pharmacology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a powerful vasoconstrictor used to dilate the pupils and relieve nasal congestion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: adrenergic, adrenergic drug

History

Etymology

Blend of phenyl + epinephrine.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 苯腎上腺素 /苯肾上腺素 (běnshènshàngxiànsù) — α-adrenergic receptor agonist
  • Czech: fenylefrin — α-adrenergic receptor agonist
  • Esperanto: fenilefrino — α-adrenergic receptor agonist
  • Finnish: fenyyliefriini — α-adrenergic receptor agonist
  • French: phényléphrine — α-adrenergic receptor agonist
  • German: Phenylephrin — α-adrenergic receptor agonist
  • Portuguese: fenilefrina — α-adrenergic receptor agonist
  • Russian: фенилэфри́н (fenilɛfrín) — α-adrenergic receptor agonist