Meanings
- uncountablemedicineA potent α₂-adrenergic agonist used for sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia in large nonhuman mammals, and as an adulterant in street drugs.
The user had a hunch that there was fentanyl in the powder but feared the presence of xylazine, a dangerous animal tranquilizer that can leave oozing wounds on limbs.
2022 December 24, Noah Weiland, “A High-Tech Strategy for Keeping Drug Users Safe: Analyzing Their Fentanyl”, in The New York Times2 more examples
After 15, 30, 60 or 90 days, the animals (n = 5 per time point for each subgroup) were sacrificed via an overdose of ketamine and xylazine hydrochloride (Vetbrands Brazil Limited, Jacareí, SP), and the hemimaxillae were removed and fixed in 10% formalin solution (Fig 1 ).
2015 August 14, “Green Tea Modulates Cytokine Expression in the Periodontium and Attenuates Alveolar Bone Resorption in Type 1 Diabetic Rats”, in PLOS ONE, →DOIIn her shattered Philadelphia neighborhood, and increasingly in drug hot zones around the country, an animal tranquilizer called xylazine — known by street names like “tranq,” “tranq dope” and “zombie drug” — is being used to bulk up illicit fentanyl, making its impact even more devastating.
2023 January 7, Jan Hoffman, “Tranq Dope: Animal Sedative Mixed With Fentanyl Brings Fresh Horror to U.S. Drug Zones”, in The New York Times, →ISSNSynonyms: sedazine, xylacine, xylazil, tranq, tranq dope
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA potent α₂-adrenergic agonist used for sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia in large nonhuman mammals, and as an adulterant in street drugs.
Cite this entry
xylazine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xylazine
“xylazine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xylazine. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “xylazine,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xylazine.
Source: xylazine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.