1
as in sleeping
desiring or needing sleep
the sleepy children were carried up to bed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dull
slow to move or act
a sleepy little town on the coast
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in hypnotic
tending to cause sleep
the sleepy drone of his voice made staying awake a challenge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in slow
lacking in gaiety, movement, or animation
a sleepy party that was mostly attended by the same boring people I work with
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 sleepy
The vibe is still that of a small town sleepy Florida paradise, according to Derek Gores.
—
Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
At a time when manufacturing has migrated south and overseas from the Midwest, how has a sleepy village outside of Peoria, Illinois, maintained its prosperity?
—Katherine Laidlaw, HubSpot, 5 Sep. 2025
Back then, Catarina was a sleepy place.
—ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2025
Labor Day is usually a pretty sleepy holiday.
—Steven Dudash, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleepy
Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
At a time when manufacturing has migrated south and overseas from the Midwest, how has a sleepy village outside of Peoria, Illinois, maintained its prosperity?
—Katherine Laidlaw, HubSpot, 5 Sep. 2025
Back then, Catarina was a sleepy place.
—ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2025
Labor Day is usually a pretty sleepy holiday.
—Steven Dudash, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleepy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleepy
Adjective
-
Horror of this scale has the effect of deadening words, making stories of the most unimaginable violence land with a dull thud.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The water wasn’t quite as hot as the Braun, and the coffee was just a hair duller in taste.—
Noah Kaufman,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For a generation whose existence is mostly, if not entirely, lived through devices, peering through the hypnotic glow of their phone screens at a picture-in-picture playback of the events unfolding in front of them is an extension, or even an evolution, of the experience.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Biden, who ended his bid for a second White House term 107 days before last year's election, has been relatively slow to move on presidential library planning compared with most of his recent predecessors.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Sep. 2025
-
With Parkinson’s, doctors implant electrodes in the brain that produce electrical impulses to disrupt the abnormal signals that cause tremors, stiffness and slow movement.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
During the resting phase, hair stops growing and will shed, or fall out.—
Jessica Swirble,
Verywell Health,
10 July 2025
-
Green Bay could finish as high as sixth in the NFC if the resting Rams lose to the 49ers, potentially setting up a first-round matchup against the division-rival Lions.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2024
Adjective
-
Forest walks, lazy lake days, midday swims, and evening bonfires are a part of your regular day.—
Miles Walls,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Camels seem slow, hippos clumsy, phoenixes unstable, lions lazy.—
Francois Botha,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s nothing quite as soothing as the drowsy calmness that washes over you when your partner runs their hands through your hair.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
-
The DeWine administration cited driver safety as a catalyst for the project: officials noted that truck drivers who can't find a parking spot are known to drive drowsy or pull over to sleep in unsafe areas.—
Annie Goldman,
The Enquirer,
31 July 2025
Adjective
-
Not at all motionless essence, but endless motion.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The video, which bears a watermark suggesting it was livestreamed on the video platform Kick, showed Jackson straddling Smith before repeatedly punching him in the face and the side of his head, even when Smith was lying motionless.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Trailing after two lethargic quarters, the Chiefs gained life when Chargers rookie Omarion Hampton mistakenly ran out of bounds, giving Kansas City one last possession before the end of the half.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Pets with salmonella or listeria infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, vomiting, decreased appetite, fever, and abdominal pain.—
Matt Cannon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sleepy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleepy. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share