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 adverb
sleepiness noun

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Week 10 of the 2024 college football season is a bit light on top-25 matchups, but sleepy slates like this Saturday's often end up delivering the most chaos. Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024 The three-part doc made in association with All3Media International reveals a macabre discovery that trust a sleepy Welsh Valleys village into the spotlight. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024 Also, rituals of any kind are good, so my sleepy bedtime beverages are, if nothing else, an excellent soothing placebo. Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 31 Oct. 2024 Howes and Petersen, sleepy and half dazed, took turns at the wheel on the long drive home. Orval C. Johnson, Outdoor Life, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sleepy 

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of sleepy was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sleepy

Cite this Entry

“Sleepy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleepy. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

sleepy

adjective
sleepier; sleepiest
1
: ready to fall asleep
2
: quietly inactive
a sleepy village
sleepily adverb
sleepiness noun

Medical Definition

sleepy

adjective
sleepier; sleepiest
: ready to fall asleep
sleepiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on sleepy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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