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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in fallen

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Or maybe they’ve been teased themselves after delivering a complete but one-sided conversation while fully asleep at a slumber party. — Michael R. Nadorff, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026 In a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Krishnamoorthi cited an NBC News investigation that identified 43 videos appearing to show individuals asleep in the driver’s seat of moving Teslas, including 17 posted this year alone. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2026 Like Harvey, Williams was asleep when she was awakened by a phone call from her husband, who was out of town. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 The call for a probe follows the publication of videos appearing to show drivers asleep behind the wheel. — Keith Laing, USA Today, 10 Sep. 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

At one point in the swim, her hand went directly into a compass jellyfish, leaving it numb for a while.

— Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 18 Sep. 2026
On one Anderson sack late in the first quarter, Allen kicked his feet in agony and later revealed the hit made his left arm go numb.

— Tim Graham, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of numb

Adjective

The objectors' subsequent ululation echoed a requiem for a fallen hero--all over a time shift that accessing the PBS app avoids entirely.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
Um Mohammad Adas, whose relatives were among those killed Wednesday, said the fallen building had become a shelter of last resort.

— Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 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

Stroud was pronounced dead in the Sam’s Club parking lot, according to Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s records.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2026
The state was dead last in the report’s affordability category, a ranking driven by housing costs.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of dead

Adjective

Meanwhile, the current owner of the inn took her children to the farmers market in the square across from the dormant building every Saturday throughout their childhoods.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
Apply a summer-weight dormant oil to your pachysandra during the crawler stages for more control.

— Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of dormant

Adjective

Historical Artist of the Year Honoring a deceased artist who is the subject of a major museum survey that offers a new lens with which to examine their work.

— Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
In the same month Netflix released Train Dreams, the film version of Denis Johnson’s revered short novel about a logger whose deceased baby daughter visits him in the form of a wolf.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of deceased

Browse Nearby Words

aslant

asleep

as like as not

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Asleep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asleep. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of asleep

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

epistemic

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes