adrenaline

noun

adren·​a·​line ə-ˈdre-nə-lən 

: epinephrine

Note: Adrenaline is used in both technical and nontechnical contexts. It is commonly used in describing the physiological symptoms (such as increased heart rate and respiration) that occur as part of the body's fight-or-flight response to stress, as when someone is in a dangerous, frightening, or highly competitive situation, as well as the feelings of heightened energy, excitement, strength, and alertness associated with those symptoms. In figurative use, it suggests a drug that provides something with a jolt of useful energy and stimulation.

He felt a rush of adrenaline as he parachuted from the airplane.

The fans were jubilant, raucous, their adrenaline running high.

—W. P. Kinsella

My reputation was as a single-day racer; show me the start line and I would win on adrenaline and anger, chopping off my competitors one by one.

—Lance Armstrong

London's summer antiques scene has been given a massive injection of adrenaline.

—Town and Country

Examples of adrenaline in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

By this finale — a welcome shot of adrenaline after a back half of the season that felt wobblier than the opening chapters — things have grown more complicated. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2025

The matter has become a topic of debate since drivers have been found to express themselves in a carefree manner under the influence of high adrenaline while speaking on the radio during race weekends. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

His pulse rings with an animal excitement indistinguishable from dread, panic: a flood of adrenaline, as if his life were at risk. —Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025

Some, in attempting more dangerous routes, are after the quicksilver rush of adrenaline. —Maya Silver, Outside Online, 16 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

adrenal entry 2 + -ine entry 2

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for adrenaline

• adrenalin
• isoprenaline
• noradrenalin
• noradrenaline

Kids Definition

adrenaline

noun

adren·​a·​line ə-ˈdren-ᵊl-ən 

: epinephrine

Medical Definition

adrenaline

noun

adren·​a·​line ə-ˈdren-ᵊl-ən 

: epinephrine

—recognized by the British Pharmaceutical Codex as the preferred name for epinephrine in Great Britain