sleepy

adjective

ˈslē-pē 

sleepier; sleepiest

1

a

: ready to fall asleep

b

: of, relating to, or characteristic of sleep

2

: sluggish as if from sleep : lethargic

also : having little activity

a sleepy coastal village

3

: sleep-inducing

sleepily

ˈslē-pə-lē 

adverb

sleepiness

ˈslē-pē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of sleepy

• sleeping
• resting
• drowsy

Examples of sleepy in a Sentence

She felt sleepy and went to bed.

the sleepy children were carried up to bed

Recent Examples on the Web

In the late nineties and two-thousands, Hsu and his daredevil friends had proudly put their sleepy Silicon Valley city on the map as an unlikely skateboarding capital. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026

Riding the heels of the original’s incredible impact on the genre, Scream 2 leaves the sleepy town of Woodsboro and arrives on the campus of Windsor College. — Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026

After the fireworks of the summer, the season comes to an end with a sleepy weekend at the box office, at least in terms of new entries like By Any Means and Onslaught. — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026

Montreal was one of the stories of the 2025-26 season with its run to the Eastern Conference final, but the Habs did almost nothing during one of the league’s sleepiest offseasons. — James Mirtle, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for sleepy

• creepy
• principe

Kids Definition

sleepy

adjective

ˈslē-pē 

sleepier; sleepiest

1

: ready to fall asleep

2

: quietly inactive

a sleepy village

sleepily

-pə-lē 

adverb

sleepiness

-pē-nəs 

noun

Medical Definition

sleepy

adjective

ˈslē-pē 

sleepier; sleepiest

: ready to fall asleep

sleepiness

-pē-nəs 

noun