depressant

Definition

A pharmacological substance which decreases neuronal or physiological activity.

Etymology

From depress + -ant.

Example Sentences

• "Alcohol acts first as a stimulant and then as a depressant."
• "The prescription painkiller Emily Jackson took is a respiratory depressant that slows breathing. That in combination with the alcohol, another respiratory depressant, overwhelmed her brain, which stopped giving her heart and lungs the signal to keep functioning."
• "On the opposite end of the drug side effect spectrum are downers. This slang term refers to CNS depressants, the types of drugs that produce a sedative effect by slowing down the messages sent and received between the central nervous system and the brain."