1. Plural of atonic; substances or agents that lack normal muscle tone or reduce muscle tension.
Usage: medical/pharmacological term; often used in clinical or therapeutic contexts
2. In linguistics, words or syllables that lack stress or accent.
Usage: linguistic term; less common usage

Examples

• The doctor prescribed atonics to help relieve the patient's muscle tension.
• Certain atonics are used in physical therapy to reduce spasticity.
• In the study of prosody, atonics play an important role in rhythm and intonation.
• The pharmacist explained how atonics work differently from stimulant medications.
• Linguists distinguish between tonics and atonics when analyzing word stress patterns.