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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 When his mother was murdered just outside her home, Justin was only 5 years old and asleep in his bedroom. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Nov. 2026 On the other side of the bed was me, in my cozy pajamas, asleep under a white blanket with my head also turned to the right. — Jenny Hughes, The Spruce, 29 Oct. 2026 The Rays bullpen was able to settle in, using seven total pitchers, but the Tampa offense was sound asleep until Liam Hicks and Chandler Simpson both doubled in the ninth for the Rays, making the score 4-1. — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2026 And those in power in LA and at the state level have been asleep at the wheel. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 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

To live in truth here, now, today is to resist the forces that would like nothing more than to isolate, numb, and commodify us.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Halfway through my hands and feet went numb, then felt like fire, and then contorted into strange positions like lobster claws.

— Kate Berlant, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 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

The driver was pronounced dead at the crash site, and two of his passengers died from their injuries at separate hospitals.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2026
However, in mid-October three attacks at schools in the central province of Mazovia took place within four days, leaving one person dead and many wounded, including children.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of dead

Adjective

But this was possible for Gemini North thanks to perfect timing and perfect weather conditions over Maunakea, the dormant volcano on the island of Hawai'i where the telescope is located.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 Nov. 2026
Moscow and Pyongyang’s once dormant relationship has flourished as Kim has sent thousands of munitions to replenish Russia’s depleted stockpiles and thousands of soldiers to fight and die in the ongoing ground war.

— Stephen E. Biegun, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of dormant

Adjective

The main players, now all deceased — including smuggler Jon Roberts, his associate/partner Toni Mooney and Colombian queenpin Griselda Blanco — appear as their younger selves.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2026
The Lost Screen Memorial features replicas of oversized smartphones with the photo of a deceased child on each home screen.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 Nov. 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 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of asleep

adjective

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