ASLEEP Synonyms: 99 Similar and Opposite Words

asleep

adjective

ə-ˈslēp

Definition of asleep

as in sleeping

being in a state of suspended consciousness was sound asleep when the earthquake struck

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in numb

lacking in sensation or feeling after sitting cross-legged all afternoon, I arose only to discover that my right foot was asleep

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in fallen

no longer living let us pray for those who are now asleep

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of asleep While the largest demographic shift humankind has ever seen is rearranging every economy on earth, capital is asleep. — The Sorenson Impact Institute, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 Cody Hall Standing Watch (May) When most of Arkansas is asleep, Cody Hall is just beginning his day. — Arkansas Online, 28 June 2026 The onslaught of games during this group stage has meant the day’s action often starts with lunch and is still going long after much of the country is asleep. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 27 June 2026 The truck driver who was accused of falling asleep and causing a crash that killed five people on Interstate 20 in North Texas last year has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for asleep

Recent Examples of Synonyms for asleep

Adjective

An autopsy showed that the infant died from asphyxiation secondary to a co-sleeping/overlay event with an unsafe sleeping environment.

— Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2026

Definition of sleeping

Adjective

The 55-story, 2 million square foot building with more than an acre of outdoor terraces and gardens is the last commercial development in the footprint of the fallen twin towers of the World Trade Center.

— Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 9 July 2026
But fallen ash still poses major health risks if ingested or inhaled.

— Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Definition of fallen

Adjective

That’s because when the body experiences physical stress, including losing weight quickly, more hairs can shift into a resting phase and fall out a few months later — typically two to three months after the event, Rossi explains.

— Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 17 Feb. 2026
This is a condition where, due to stress or hormonal changes, the body puts the hair follicles into a resting phase.

— Essence, Essence, 19 Dec. 2025

Definition of resting

Adjective

When Bill’s older brother Henry (Barry Ward) finds the pianist in numbed solitude in his dingy apartment, Bill has canceled all his upcoming gigs, saying Scotty cannot be replaced.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
Ingber also notes the numbed response to these strikes from much of the American public, something that, in part, may come from the routine nature of these drone strikes as something that the nation has become desensitized to dropping bombs on enemies.

— Rebecca Schneid, Time, 21 Oct. 2025

Definition of numbed

Adjective

Inside, a man and woman believed to be in their mid-40s were found dead from gunshot wounds.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
In a subsequent lecture, Halford noted that snake venom’s effect on the blood was like that of cholera, and modestly suggested that the venom of dead snakes, dried and carried aloft on the wind, might be the cause of that disease.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Definition of dead

Adjective

As the dikes spread, the region faced earthquakes and brought back into action long dormant faults, draining the magma beneath the ridge.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 9 July 2026
Energy Substantiation’s model attempts to monetize those dormant barrels while using them to back digital tokens.

— Mia Gindis, Fortune, 9 July 2026

Definition of dormant

Adjective

Canonization is the process through which a deceased individual may become a saint, or is confirmed through an extensive research process to be in heaven.

— Vivian Wilson, Twin Cities, 8 July 2026
Jose was declared deceased at the scene while Samantha was rushed to a local hospital but later succumbed to her injuries.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026

Definition of deceased

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aslant

asleep

as like as not

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Style

“Asleep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asleep. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of asleep

adjective

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