1
as in sleeping
desiring or needing sleep
the sleepy children were carried up to bed
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2
as in dull
slow to move or act
a sleepy little town on the coast
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3
as in hypnotic
tending to cause sleep
the sleepy drone of his voice made staying awake a challenge
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sleepy
Better check behind every bush and tree, because this movie will convince you every sleepy suburb is a slaughterhouse in the making.
—
Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
In the quiet village of Mount Prospect, nestled just northwest of Chicago’s city limits, residents were sheltering from the cold and rain on a sleepy Sunday afternoon watching TV, scrolling through social media and enjoying midday coffee at home.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
In Normal, Odenkirk plays an unassuming substitute sheriff with a troubled past who, after moving to a small, sleepy town, responds to a bank robbery and unknowingly uncovers something far more explosive.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
AlUla has morphed from a sleepy archaeological site into Saudi Arabia’s adventure playground over the past decade, where visitors revel in raves and practice sunrise yoga in the same valley the Nabataeans once roamed.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleepy
Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
In the quiet village of Mount Prospect, nestled just northwest of Chicago’s city limits, residents were sheltering from the cold and rain on a sleepy Sunday afternoon watching TV, scrolling through social media and enjoying midday coffee at home.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
In Normal, Odenkirk plays an unassuming substitute sheriff with a troubled past who, after moving to a small, sleepy town, responds to a bank robbery and unknowingly uncovers something far more explosive.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
AlUla has morphed from a sleepy archaeological site into Saudi Arabia’s adventure playground over the past decade, where visitors revel in raves and practice sunrise yoga in the same valley the Nabataeans once roamed.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleepy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleepy
Adjective
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The dull stories the show crafts around them add no insight or substance.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
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But becoming a lawyer wasn’t his calling, and being dull wasn’t his nature.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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With her powerful voice and hypnotic interpretative quality, Peluso seems tailor-made for this.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
4 Nov. 2025
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His presence is fresh, empathetic, often hypnotic, and never overacted.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Tiles also exhibited hysteresis, which was smaller at slower speeds due to the rubber’s viscoelastic properties, as reported by Nanowerk.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
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Levi, an electrical engineer who founded MicroKits in 2020, has had to raise prices, slow production and pause plans to launch a new product – Banan-a-Synth – that lets kids turn a bunch of bananas into a kind of keyboard.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Taking minoxidil orally can support the hair follicle cycle and trigger anagen (the resting phase) prematurely.—
Jessie Quinn,
Flow Space,
23 Sep. 2025
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During the resting phase, hair stops growing and will shed, or fall out.—
Jessica Swirble,
Verywell Health,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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The kids will love all the ways to make a splash here, which include waterslides, a lazy river, and Orlando’s only wave pool.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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The decor is bright and inviting, the heated pool is perfect for a lazy afternoon, and patios offer quiet spots to sip coffee or a local wine.—
Maggie Downs,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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Drone footage shows eight officers approach a motionless Green who appeared slumped over with a large pool of blood staining the driveway.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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In a 20-second black and white video of the strike posted to X, a small boat can be seen apparently sitting motionless on the water when a long thin projectile descends on it, triggering an explosion.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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At just 5 weeks old and weighing just over 4 pounds, Lilly was lethargic, withdrawn and appeared seriously unwell.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
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The market is lethargic nationwide, too, with 345,016 sales, down 9% in a year and 18% below average.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sleepy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleepy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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