sedative
sed·a·tive/ˈsɛdətɪv/noun, adjective
sedative is spelled S-E-D-A-T-I-V-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables (sed·a·tive). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sedative means “An agent or drug that sedates, having a calming or soothing effect, or inducing sleep” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sedative is sedatives.
How many letters and syllables are in sedative?
| Letters | 8: S-E-D-A-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: sed·a·tive |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,270th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is sedative?
Sedative appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce sedative?
- /ˈsɛdətɪv/
Sedative has 3 syllables, split sed·a·tive in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-sedative.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of sedative
- sedatives plural
- more sedative comparative
- most sedative superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sedative mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An agent or drug that sedates, having a calming or soothing effect, or inducing sleep.
adjective
- 1
Calming, soothing, inducing sleep, tranquilizing
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sedative in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sédatif |
| German | Beruhigungsmittel , beruhigend, sedativ |
| Portuguese | sedativo |
| Spanish | sedante, sedativo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does sedative come from?
Inherited from Middle English sedatif, from Anglo-Norman sedatif, from Medieval Latin sēdātīvus, which itself likely influenced the modern spelling. By surface analysis, sedate + -ive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).