1
as in sleeping
being in a state of suspended consciousness
was sound asleep when the earthquake struck
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
3
as in fallen
no longer living
let us pray for those who are now asleep
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of asleep
The victim was asleep in her apartment near Degraw and Smith Sts.
—
Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 27 Feb. 2026
Pretending to be asleep, the girl desperately calls a family member who races to the house and calls 911 while on the road.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
The individual who called 911 told dispatchers that the kids were asleep in their rooms at the home, according to News Center 7.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Difficulty Sleeping Women can have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night for a range of reasons during menopause.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for asleep
Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 27 Feb. 2026
Pretending to be asleep, the girl desperately calls a family member who races to the house and calls 911 while on the road.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
The individual who called 911 told dispatchers that the kids were asleep in their rooms at the home, according to News Center 7.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Difficulty Sleeping Women can have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night for a range of reasons during menopause.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for asleep
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asleep
Adjective
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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
Adjective
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The public at large is gradually becoming numb to our Palantirized surveillance state, and American communities are responding to the militarization of federal law enforcement with their own increasingly intricate webs of sousveillance.—
Sarah Jeong,
The Verge,
1 Mar. 2026
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Do not rub any affected area or use a heating pad or another device like a hairdryer to warm the skin because the person's skin may be numb and doing so may cause more damage to the skin.—
Yi-Jin Yu,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The only mention of individuals comes at the very end, in a short paragraph that honors three fallen soldiers.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
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Homemade compost and mulch from fallen leaves are budget-friendly soil amendments.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Taking minoxidil orally can support the hair follicle cycle and trigger anagen (the resting phase) prematurely.—
Jessie Quinn,
Flow Space,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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Israeli officials previously told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that Khamenei was dead.—
CLAUDIA CIOBANU,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
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Officers found a victim upon arrival, and he was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.—
Austin Turner,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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First, temperatures are much more moderate for outdoor work, the ground is usually moist after winter rains, and the shrub is dormant.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2026
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Once non-native seeds are no longer a threat to germinate, native seeds that can lay dormant for decades will have exclusive access to winter rain.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Chavismo is the term Venezuelans use to describe the regime first established by deceased strongman Hugo Chavez.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
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Ghostface may remain financially dominant and culturally unavoidable, but the franchise’s latest chapter suggests the mask’s legacy is becoming creatively disposable… if not deceased.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Asleep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asleep. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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