tranquilizer
Meaning of tranquilizer: Tranquilizer is an older term for medications that calm anxiety or induce sedation, now mostly replaced clinically by more specific drug class names.
Definition of tranquilizer
Tranquilizer is a general term for a medication that produces a calming effect, reducing anxiety, tension, or agitation. The term has traditionally been divided into two loose categories, often called minor tranquilizers, used mainly for anxiety and sedation, and major tranquilizers, an older name for antipsychotic medications used for more severe psychiatric conditions.
Medications historically described as minor tranquilizers include benzodiazepines and related sedative medications, which act on the brain to reduce anxiety and promote sleep, while major tranquilizers act on different brain pathways and are used to manage psychosis and related conditions.
In current medical practice, the term tranquilizer has largely been replaced by more specific class names, such as anxiolytic, sedative, or antipsychotic, which more precisely describe how a given medication works and what condition it is intended to treat, though tranquilizer remains a familiar informal term.
Used in a sentence
The medication was historically classified as a minor tranquilizer, a term now largely replaced by more specific drug class names.
Good to know
The informal terms minor and major tranquilizer have been largely replaced in current practice by more precise class names such as anxiolytic and antipsychotic, which better reflect how a given medication actually works.