sleepier; sleepiest
Synonyms of sleepynext
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
One of those efforts, the super PAC Leading the Future, has already raised $125 million from sources including the backers of Palantir and OpenAI for the midterms — huge sums of money for races that were once often sleepy. Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026 Sweden has been sleepy and out to lunch. Chris Pronger, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026 All the while, investors are cashing in on last year’s tech winners and rotating to the sleepy parts of the market ( Procter & Gamble ). Zev Fima, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026 Children with the virus may be fussy, sleepy throughout the day and cry without tears. Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sleepy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleepy. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

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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