Meanings
nounsildenafil (usually uncountable, plural sildenafils)
plural sildenafils
- uncountableusuallymedicineA drug that is used in the form of its citrate C₂₂H₃₀N₆O₄S·C₆H₈O₇ to treat erectile dysfunction in males, that by suppressing a phosphodiesterase enzyme also suppresses the enzyme's inhibitory effect on the hormone cyclic GMP, and that enables the cyclic GMP produced during sexual arousal to initiate the muscular and vascular changes which produce an erection. It is marketed under the trademarks Revatio and Viagra.
Ellis opens a file from his stack. In 1991, he says, Pfizer wanted to test the safety of what came to be known as sildenafil.
2017, David Friend, The Naughty Nineties
Synonyms & antonyms
nounvirility drug (trade name Viagra) used to treat erectile dysfunction in men
Similar
Broader
virility druganti-impotence drug
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Probably from s(ulfon)yl + -dena- (“alteration of (pyrimi)dine”) + ph(en)yl.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 西地那非
- 西地那非 (xīdìnàfēi)Translations
Finnish sildenafiili
- sildenafiiliTranslations
Greek σιλδεναφίλη
- σιλδεναφίλη (sildenafíli)Translations
Turkish sildenafil
- sildenafilTranslations
Cite this entry
APA
sildenafil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sildenafil
MLA
“sildenafil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sildenafil. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sildenafil,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sildenafil.
Source: sildenafil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.