Synonyms of sleepy

sleepy

adjective

ˈslē-pē 

1

as in sleeping

desiring or needing sleep

the sleepy children were carried up to bed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sleeping
• resting
• drowsy
• somnolent
• slumberous
• dozy
• asleep
• dormant
• nodding
• slumbering
• dozing
• yawning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• awake
• conscious
• alert
• wakeful
• wide-awake
• restless
• sleepless
• restive
• insomniac

2

as in dull

slow to move or act

a sleepy little town on the coast

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dull
• lazy
• motionless
• lethargic
• resting
• sluggish
• torpid
• inactive
• quiescent
• asleep
• inert
• drugged
• dormant
• static
• listless
• dead
• still
• indolent
• apathetic
• shiftless
• drowsy
• languorous
• slothful
• sedentary
• slack
• dopey
• ambitionless
• inanimate
• comatose
• lazyish
• sluggard
• catatonic
• sluggardly
• somnambulant

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• active
• busy
• engaged
• occupied
• working
• energetic
• dynamic
• spirited
• lively
• vigorous
• vivacious
• vital
• kinetic
• animated
• sprightly
• bouncing
• industrious
• perky
• hardworking
• diligent
• peppy
• assiduous
• springy
• zippy
• sedulous

3

as in hypnotic

tending to cause sleep

the sleepy drone of his voice made staying awake a challenge

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hypnotic
• drowsy
• soporific
• opiate
• soothing
• somnolent
• narcotic
• hypnotizing
• slumberous
• quieting
• somniferous
• sedative
• relaxing
• depressant
• comforting
• restful
• relaxant
• settling
• calming
• dulling
• tranquilizing
• anesthetic
• analgesic
• deadening
• lulling
• stupefying
• benumbing
• numbing
• mesmerizing
• anesthetizing
• pacifying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stimulant
• waking
• stimulating
• rousing
• arousing
• energizing
• refreshing
• awakening
• bracing
• reviving
• restorative
• invigorating
• stimulative
• wakening
• stimulatory

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

• slow
• dead
• vacant
• comatose
• idle
• sluggish
• dormant
• lethargic
• torpid
• inactive
• off
• inert
• free
• latent
• fallow
• inoperative

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• busy
• bustling
• lively
• vibrant
• alive
• humming
• thriving
• animated
• flourishing
• buzzing
• astir
• teeming
• swarming
• overflowing
• abounding
• thronging

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sleepy

In a sleepy bay in Anguilla, the ship’s marina comes down, affording an opportunity to play with the water toys and swim to an inflatable trampoline. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 2026

Staff called police in the sleepy East Tennessee town of Dandridge regularly for months. — Paige Pfleger, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026

After photos from the encounter were released—showing the sleepy young prince in his bathrobe and slippers, casually greeting the world leader—the moment took the Internet by storm. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 11 Aug. 2026

Slasher Summer follows a group of seven friends (with real Midnight Society vibes) reuniting in their sleepy, lakeside hometown of Cedar Lake Falls. — Alaina Urquhart, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026