sleepy

adjective

ˈslē-pē How to pronounce sleepy (audio)
Definition of sleepynext
1
as in sleeping
desiring or needing sleep the sleepy children were carried up to bed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dull
slow to move or act a sleepy little town on the coast

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

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 company is already studying ways to manipulate orexin activity in another form of narcolepsy, and a condition in which people feel excessively sleepy during the day, even after a full night’s sleep. — Alice Park, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 In a relatively sleepy year for hip-hop and rap on the Hot 100, Drake’s four-pack performance proves that the interest is still there. — Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2026 On the afternoon of October 3, a crowd of unhappy protesters gathered along a busy street in the heart of Huntington, New York, a sleepy suburb along the northern coast of Long Island. — Adam B. Vary, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026 So if the last day or so felt sleepy and slightly underwhelming, this is precisely why. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sleepy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleepy
  1. sleeping
  2. dull
  3. hypnotic
  4. slow
  5. resting
  6. lazy
  7. drowsy
  8. motionless
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
  • Many of the strongest initial applications are the dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks that go unfilled, contribute to injuries, and pull people away from higher-value judgment and exception handling.
    — Navin Chaddha, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • But in the years between Logic1000’s in-your-face debut EP and 2024’s duller, more careful Mother, her solo work became less singular.
    — Cassidy Sollazzo, Pitchfork, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of dull
Adjective
  • And in the Dominican Republic, DIY beatmakers disassembled and sped up reggaeton’s dembow riddim into hypnotic dance floor experience, paving the way for crossover sensations like El Alfa and Tokischa.
    — Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Each feels expansively lush without ever losing that genuinely old school rock and roll momentum, in large part due to the hypnotic drumming of Adam Shumski and inventive lead guitars of Dan Ryan.
    — Brendan Hay, SPIN, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of hypnotic
Adjective
  • On winding roads, its model-specific suspension tuning and focus on weight reduction translate into exceptional body control at speed without becoming brittle or overly rigid in slower, more technical sections.
    — Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In particular, he was asked about Netflix’s slower growth (2% year-over-year growth in user engagement during the first half in 2026).
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of slow
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
  • Composed of 160 photographs taken across the past seven decades by 118 photographers, the show suggests the jobs, romances, family life, and lazy afternoons that could have been his.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
  • However, GitHub’s measures don’t require users to revoke any credentials left exposed in a repo, and some developers continue hard-coding, even though it’s considered both lazy development and exceptionally poor security.
    — Alex Colon, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of lazy
Adjective
  • Allergy drugs can ease those symptoms and make people drowsy, potentially offering relief from insomnia.
    — Kara Smythe, EverydayHealth.com, 15 May 2026
  • Fleets that deployed the company's AI dash cams, which detect drowsy or distracted driving, saw a 73% reduction in accidents after 30 months, according to company data from more than 2,600 customers.
    — TIME Contributors, Time, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of drowsy
Adjective
  • In comments shared on social media, many claimed her face appeared frozen and motionless, her expressions nonexistent.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Griffith Park merry-go-round, which turned 100 this year, stands motionless, many of its 66 wooden horses weathered and caught mid-ascent.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of motionless

Browse Nearby Words

sleepwear
sleepy
sleigh bed
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Cite this Entry

“Sleepy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleepy. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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