A tranquilizer is a medicinal substance or drug that calms agitation, reduces anxiety, or induces sleep. It is typically prescribed for short-term relief and acts on the central nervous system to produce sedation. In everyday usage, it refers to any agent that alleviates tension or restlessness.
"The patient was given a mild tranquilizer to help with sleep after the surgery."
"She avoided alcohol while taking the tranquilizer because the combination can be dangerous."
"The doctor warned that tranquilizers should be used only as prescribed, not for long-term anxiety relief."
"During the crisis, the nurse administered a tranquilizer to calm the agitated patient."
Tranquilizer comes from the word tranquil, meaning peaceful or calm, with the agentive suffix -izer indicating something that causes or brings about a state or action. Tranquil derives from Old French tranquille and Late Latin tranquilus, which in turn traces to Latin tranquillus meaning quiet or calm, from a root related to tremor or agitation that has been subdued. The suffix -izer is used to form nouns that indicate a device, agent, or thing that causes the action (as in harmonizer, magnetizer). The earliest English usage appears in the 19th century as pharmacological terminology, with tranquilizer used to describe sedative medications that relieve anxiety or induce sleep. Over time, the term broadened to include various CNS depressants prescribed for anxiety, insomnia, or agitation. In contemporary medical language, “tranquilizer” historically overlapped with sedatives and hypnotics, though modern pharmacology often distinguishes anxiolytics (anti-anxiety) from sedatives/hypnotics, with specific drug classes such as benzodiazepines or alpha-2 agonists. First known printed use appears in scientific or medical texts in the late 1800s to early 1900s, gaining common parlance in the mid-20th century as pharmacology expanded.
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Words that rhyme with "Tranquilizer"
-zer sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as טרan-QUI-li-zer with primary stress on QUI: /træŋˈkwɪl.ɪ.zər/ in US or /træŋˈkwɪl.ɪ.zə/ in many UK/AU varieties. The syllable breakdown is tran-QUI-li-zer. Start with /træŋ/ (short a as in cat, ng as in rang), then /ˈkwɪl/ (short i as in kit with w + i together), followed by /ɪ/ or /ə/ in the final syllable, then /zər/ (z sound + er). Keep the final unstressed -er light. See audio resources for gentle, native-like intonation.
Two frequent errors are misplacing the stress and mispronouncing the /kw/ cluster. Some say tran-QUI-lizer with stress on the second syllable but mispronounce the /kw/ as /k/ or /kw/ poorly; others mispronounce the final -izer as /ɪzər/ instead of /əl aɪ zər/. Correction: maintain /træŋˈkwɪl.ɪ.zər/ (US) or /træŋˈkwɪl.ɪ.zə/ (UK/AU) with /kw/ as a single consonant cluster, and place primary stress on QUI. Practice by saying ‘tran’ + ‘kwi’ together smoothly, then ‘li’ as a light, unstressed vowel, and finish with ‘zer’ or ‘zə’ depending on accent.
In US English it’s /træŋˈkwɪl.ɪ.zər/ with rhotic /r/ and a pronounced final /ɹ/. The UK and Australian varieties often use /træŋˈkwɪl.ɪ.zə/ with a non-rhotic /r/ and a lighter, schwa-like final syllable. Vowel qualities: /æ/ in 'tran' and /ɪ/ in 'quil' are similar across accents, but the final vowel often shifts to /ə/ or /ɜː/ in softer syllables. The /ˈkwɪl/ sequence remains stable across accents; ensure you attach the /kw/ cluster to the stressed syllable.
The main challenges are the /ŋ/ in the first syllable, the /kw/ consonant cluster, and the three-syllable word with stress on the second syllable. The combination /ŋkw/ is uncommon in many words, which can cause blending errors, while the /ɪ/ vs /ɪə/ or /ə/ in the final unstressed syllable varies by accent. You’ll hear American speakers put clear emphasis on QUI and a distinct -er at the end; other accents may soften the final syllable, especially in rapid speech.
Is there a difference in pronunciation if you say ‘tranquilizer’ slowly as two words ‘tran-quili-zer’ versus the common fast form? The standard is to blend into a four-sound sequence with syllable boundaries roughly tran-QUI-li-zer, but in rapid speech some speakers reduce or assimilate sounds, sometimes making the /l/ influence change or the final /zər/ become /zə/. For consistent pronunciation, keep the /kw/ cluster tight and maintain the secondary syllable stress, then resolve into a crisp final syllable.
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