truth serum
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.72 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
1
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A psychoactive medication, especially one administered by injection, which supposedly renders a person cooperative and disposed to respond honestly to questions.
Countable; Informal; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "There is a difference of opinion among criminologists as the relative merits of the truth serum test over the lie detector test. The former relies upon producing a state of near unconsciousness in the subject by injection of controlled dosages of sodium amytal."
- ""The British run torture centers in Cyprus where they beat their prisoners, inject them with truth serums, extract their teeth and fingernails," cried Athens' Voice of the Fatherland radio."
- "He does note, however, that other aids such as truth sera and lie detectors will never be entirely successful since persons speak only what they believe to be the truth, and the truth they speak may not square with objective reality. Under these circumstances truth sera and lie detectors are not dependable."
- "This assumption underlies the repeated comparison of hypnosis to scientific tests designed to measure the truthfulness of the subject, such as polygraphs and truth sera."
- "Cassidy opened her mouth to say she was fine but an internal voice stopped her. You’re not supposed to do that anymore. Feeling as if she’d drunk truth serum, she said, “I had an anxiety attack driving over and I’m a little shaky.”"
- "Mr. Heirens spent days in police custody and was given truth serum and a spinal tap before confessing to the Degnan killing and the earlier slayings of two women."