What does sedation mean?
Sedation is the deliberate production of a calm, relaxed, or less responsive state, usually by means of medicine. In medical settings it may be mild enough to reduce anxiety or drowsy awareness, or deep enough to make a patient largely unresponsive during a procedure. The word can refer either to the calming effect itself or to the administration of the substance that produces it. Sedation is distinct from anaesthesia because it does not necessarily eliminate pain or all sensation. Outside medicine, the term is sometimes used more broadly for a quieting or soothing effect, though this usage can sound figurative or informal. The word is useful in discussions of healthcare, pharmacology, dentistry, and procedures requiring patients to remain calm and still.
nounThe administration of a medicine or other substance to produce a state of calm, relaxation, or reduced activity, often causing drowsiness or unconsciousness. It can also refer to the resulting state.
- The use of medicine or another substance to produce a state of calm, relaxation, or reduced activity.
- A state of calmness, drowsiness, or unconsciousness resulting from medicine or another substance.
"The patient was given mild sedation before the procedure."
"The dentist used sedation to keep the patient comfortable during the long procedure."
"The medication caused heavy sedation, and the patient remained asleep for several hours."
Usually used in the plural for individual instances or episodes of medically induced calmness or unconsciousness.
"The clinic specializes in sedations for diagnostic procedures."
From the Latin sedare, meaning “to calm” or “to settle,” sedation describes the deliberate quieting of the body and mind before or during medical care.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sedation come from?
Sedation derives from Latin sedatio, meaning “a calming” or “the act of settling.” It is related to sedare, “to calm” or “to make still,” and to the English adjectives sedate and sedative. The word entered English in the early 17th century in medical writing, initially referring to the calming or soothing effect of medicines and later extending to the induced state itself.
Related word forms
How sedation is actually used
In medical contexts, sedation is generally formal and technical. The term may refer to the drug-induced state itself or to the process of administering a sedative. The degree of sedation can range from mild relaxation to deep unconsciousness.
Easily confused with sedation
Sedation is the process or state of being calmed or made less active, whereas a sedative is the medicine or substance that causes it.