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

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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 Sheriff’s deputies found Guttenbeil asleep with a gun in his lap behind a Eastern Avenue liquor store next to a car wash in the 4000 block of Marconi Avenue, according to the Sheriff’s Office. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026 The truck driver was asleep inside the tractor-trailer when the suspects broke the seal on the vehicle and began removing the meat, according to Philadelphia police. — Frederick Sutton Sinclair, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 The couple’s two daughters, then ages 11 and 9, were asleep in the next room. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026 But, the most entertaining and consequential ending of the night happened in a small town in Idaho while the rest of the college football watching world was likely asleep. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 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

Nobody cheered; after so many years of violence, the crowd seemed numb.

— Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
After nine relocations, baseball fanbases became numb to abandonment, but by 1971, Washington fans who were losing their second franchise in 11 years, had enough.

— Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of numb

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

Two men were found dead inside a Long Beach home after one of them exchanged shots with police and sparked a standoff with SWAT officers in a residential neighborhood early Saturday morning, police said.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2026
The film follows a Polish burglar who assumes the identity of a dead stranger’s girlfriend, with unexpected results.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of dead

Adjective

The issues may have been lying dormant The vulnerabilities have been known about since at least 2024, according to the PHP Foundation.

— Kaitlyn Huamani, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
So Hanawalt reactivated her dormant Facebook account and began scrolling through local horse sale groups.

— Rachel Brodsky, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of dormant

Adjective

Two handguns were found at the scene, according to police, who have yet to release the identities of the five deceased individuals.

— Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2026
The truck driver was not injured and remained on scene, while the rider was transported to Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital and pronounced deceased.

— Felix Rodriguez, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of deceased

Browse Nearby Words

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 24 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of asleep

adjective

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