Meaning & use
hallucinogen
Last updated
UK/həˈluːsɪnədʒən/
US/həˈluːsɪnədʒən/
Meaning
nouncountablemedical
A drug or substance that makes a person see, hear or feel things that are not really there.
Grammar: Countable: LSD is a powerful hallucinogen.
Patterns
- hallucinogen in something
LSD is one of the best-known synthetic hallucinogens.
Some mushrooms contain a natural hallucinogen.
Doctors are studying whether a hallucinogen could help treat depression.
Common combinations
- natural hallucinogen
- Peyote is a natural hallucinogen used in some ceremonies.
- synthetic hallucinogen
- The lab tested a synthetic hallucinogen.
- powerful hallucinogen
- A powerful hallucinogen can distort time and sound.
- effects of a hallucinogen
- The effects of a hallucinogen vary from person to person.
- use a hallucinogen
- Teenagers who use a hallucinogen risk a frightening experience.
Synonyms and how they differ
- psychedelic
- Psychedelic is often a more everyday word and can also describe art or music, while hallucinogen is a clinical term for the drug.
- mind-altering drug
- Mind-altering drug is broader and could include alcohol or stimulants.
- psychotropic
- Psychotropic covers any drug affecting mood or thought, not only ones causing hallucinations.
Word family
- hallucinate verb
- To see or hear things that are not there.
- hallucination noun
- The experience of perceiving something unreal.
- hallucinogenic adjective
- Causing hallucinations.
Commonly confused: hallucinogen or hallucination?
hallucinogen vs hallucination
A hallucination is the experience; a hallucinogen is the substance that can cause it.
Practice
Which word names the substance that causes hallucinations?
Choose one answer.
A hallucinogen is the drug. A hallucination is the unreal experience itself, so it does not fit the question.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hallucinogen”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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