adjective
- Medicine/Medical. having the quality of depressing or lowering the vital activities; sedative.
- causing a lowering in spirits; dejecting.
- causing a drop in value; economically depressing.
noun
- Medicine/Medical. a sedative.Compare stimulant(def 1).
- Chemistry. any agent capable of diminishing a specific property of a substance.
adjective
- med able to diminish or reduce nervous or functional activity
- causing gloom or dejection; depressing
noun
- a depressant drug
“sedative,” 1876 as a noun, 1887 as an adjective; see depress + -ant.
adj.
- Tending to lower the rate of vital physiological activities.
n.
- An agent, especially a drug, that decreases the rate of vital physiological activities.