# anesthetic

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˌænəsˈθɛtɪk/ · frequency rank #26,679

## Definitions
1. Causing anesthesia; reducing pain sensitivity.
2. Insensate: unable to feel, or unconscious.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *né
Proto-Indo-European *n̥-
Proto-Hellenic *ə-
Ancient Greek ᾰ̓- (ă-)
Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-)der.
English an-
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew-
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewis-dʰh₁
Proto-Hellenic *awistʰomai
Ancient Greek αἰσθᾰ́νομαι (aisthắnomai)
Proto-Indo-European *-tis
Ancient Greek -τις (-tis)
Ancient Greek -σῐς (-sĭs)
Ancient Greek αἴσθησῐς (aísthēsĭs)
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Ancient Greek -κός (-kós)
Ancient Greek -ῐκός (-ĭkós)
Ancient Greek αἰσθητῐκός (aisthētĭkós)bor.
Latin aesthēticusder.
German Ästhetikder.
▲
New Latin aesthēticusbor.
French esthétiqueder.
English aesthetic
English esthetic
English anesthetic
From an- + esthetic, or Latinized form of Ancient Greek ἀναίσθητος (anaísthētos, “insensible”) + -ic, from ἀν- (an-, “un-”) + αἰσθητικός (aisthētikós, “perceptible”).

## Easily confused with
- **aesthetic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aesthetic-vs-anesthetic)
- **aesthetics** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aesthetics-vs-anesthetic)
- **anesthesia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/anesthesia-vs-anesthetic)

## Common misspellings (15)
`aensthetic`, `aneshtetic`, `anessthetic`, `anestehtic`, `anestheitc`, `anesthetci`, `anestheticc`, `anesthettic`, `anesthhetic`, `anesthteic`, `anestthetic`, `anetshetic`, `annesthetic`, `ansethetic`, `naesthetic`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/anesthetic