as in wakeful
not sleeping or able to sleep
an insomniac veteran tormented by his memories of the war
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Recent Examples of insomniac
Elizabeth Rayne, ArsTechnica, 2 May 2025
The Gorge centers on these two lonely insomniac snipers who connect with one another from towers that are 600 meters apart.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2025
The movie, based on Chuck Palahniuk’s subversive novel, starred Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter and followed an insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker who form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
Every night, inhabitants of the city that never sleeps are kept awake by everything from the sounds of slammed front doors reverberating down hallways to insomniac oboists who could use a few more lessons (ideally during the day).
—Natalie Wexler, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2024
The kids fill their insomniac parents with love and fear.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
For the insomniac bedmate who turns on the light to read and wakes you up
An eye mask can only do so much.
—Leslie Yazel, wsj.com, 14 Dec. 2023
These narratives are magnetic forces that pull the reader into their worlds, leaving them eager to discover what comes next, from a bricklayer hiding his love for wearing red lipstick to an insomniac journalist fighting street violence.
—Roxsy Lin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2023
Her concern for her single, insomniac brother is sincere, and at moments doesn’t quite skirt condescension.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2023
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The one thing the insomniac does not envy is the unconscious dead.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The insistent insomniac, desperate for a chat, usually sighs, accepts the verdict, and slumps back into sleeplessness.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
Flashbacks and montages of her girlhood and celebrity prime reveal fragments of her biography, but the movie mostly sifts through the singer’s insomniac and at times hallucinogenic hours wandering her palatial apartment and the streets of Paris to probe the mystery of Callas.
—Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
It would largely be seen by night owls and insomniacs in major markets like New York City and Washington, D.C.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 28 Jan. 2025
Flashbacks and montages of her girlhood and celebrity prime reveal fragments of her biography, but the movie mostly sifts through the singer’s insomniac and at times hallucinogenic hours wandering her palatial apartment and the streets of Paris to probe the mystery of Callas.
—Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Their pitch is seductive: a digital workforce imbued with the personality of your favorite brands, ready for your insomniac ping about sandals that don’t fit before a vacation.
—Craig S. Smith, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
The drawbacks of insomniacs are the hours available to analyze
a conflict—a convincing script,
a role-play of possible opinions.
—Jennifer Harlan, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
There are some insomniac flies who would like a word.
—Elizabeth Rayne, ArsTechnica, 2 May 2025
The Gorge centers on these two lonely insomniac snipers who connect with one another from towers that are 600 meters apart.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2025
The movie, based on Chuck Palahniuk’s subversive novel, starred Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter and followed an insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker who form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
Every night, inhabitants of the city that never sleeps are kept awake by everything from the sounds of slammed front doors reverberating down hallways to insomniac oboists who could use a few more lessons (ideally during the day).
—Natalie Wexler, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2024
The kids fill their insomniac parents with love and fear.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
For the insomniac bedmate who turns on the light to read and wakes you up
An eye mask can only do so much.
—Leslie Yazel, wsj.com, 14 Dec. 2023
These narratives are magnetic forces that pull the reader into their worlds, leaving them eager to discover what comes next, from a bricklayer hiding his love for wearing red lipstick to an insomniac journalist fighting street violence.
—Roxsy Lin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2023
Her concern for her single, insomniac brother is sincere, and at moments doesn’t quite skirt condescension.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2023
Noun
The one thing the insomniac does not envy is the unconscious dead.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The one thing the insomniac does not envy is the unconscious dead.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The insistent insomniac, desperate for a chat, usually sighs, accepts the verdict, and slumps back into sleeplessness.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
Flashbacks and montages of her girlhood and celebrity prime reveal fragments of her biography, but the movie mostly sifts through the singer’s insomniac and at times hallucinogenic hours wandering her palatial apartment and the streets of Paris to probe the mystery of Callas.
—Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
It would largely be seen by night owls and insomniacs in major markets like New York City and Washington, D.C.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 28 Jan. 2025
Flashbacks and montages of her girlhood and celebrity prime reveal fragments of her biography, but the movie mostly sifts through the singer’s insomniac and at times hallucinogenic hours wandering her palatial apartment and the streets of Paris to probe the mystery of Callas.
—Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Their pitch is seductive: a digital workforce imbued with the personality of your favorite brands, ready for your insomniac ping about sandals that don’t fit before a vacation.
—Craig S. Smith, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
The drawbacks of insomniacs are the hours available to analyze
a conflict—a convincing script,
a role-play of possible opinions.
—Jennifer Harlan, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insomniac
Adjective
-
Tips to Break the Bedtime Screen Habit Dr. Verma, who was not involved in the research, offers the following tips to prevent wakeful effects from smartphones and get better sleep: Avoid screens 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Lauren Goode: Who among us doesn't want to have a nap gently guided by our wakeful rhythm?—
Lauren Goode,
WIRED,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Unlike most of football’s recent risers, Glimt’s ascent has not coincided with a takeover from a billionaire or sovereign wealth fund.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Even the darkness of the risers on the stage gives this, like, adversarial sense.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Even miles away in the capital of Srinagar, many residents stayed awake throughout the night, listening to fighter jets fly over Kashmir’s skies and scrolling social media feeds for any updates about the strikes and cross-border shelling.—
Fahad Shah,
Christian Science Monitor,
7 May 2025
-
Since your body burns energy to stay awake, a lack of sleep can stress your brain over time.—
Lauren O'Connor,
Health,
7 May 2025
Adjective
-
And one lively female was virtually sleepless, averaging just four minutes of sleep each day.—
Amber Jorgenson,
Discover Magazine,
20 Feb. 2019
-
Practical and Cute Enter the perfect solution to her sleepless nights.—
Amanda Garrity,
Good Housekeeping,
25 Jan. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Insomniac.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insomniac. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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