Anesthesia: meaning, definitions and examples

Used in medical settings to describe a state where a patient is given drugs to prevent feeling pain during surgery or other procedures.

• The dentist gave me anesthesia before pulling my tooth.
• The patient needs to be under anesthesia for the operation.

Can also be used in a metaphorical sense to describe numbing of feelings or emotions, often in literature or conversation.

• Her heart felt like it was under anesthesia, numb to any joy or sorrow.
• The city's beauty put me in a state of emotional anesthesia.

Refers to a lack of physical sensation or inability to feel emotions. Can be used in both medical or figurative senses, often implying coldness or detachment.

• The cold left her fingers in complete insensibility.
• His insensibility to her feelings was deeply hurtful.

Describes not being conscious or knowledgeable about something, often used in everyday situations where a person lacks knowledge or attention.

• His unawareness of the situation led to his downfall.
• She moved through the day in a state of unawareness.

Usually describes a state of being unaware or unconscious, often used in literature or everyday speech to denote forgetfulness or being lost in thought.

• He drank himself into oblivion.
• After a long day, she wanted nothing but the oblivion of sleep.