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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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 Dogs may actually improve our sleep habits by forcing us to adjust to consistent bedtime schedules — as anyone with a sleepy, whining dog can confirm. — Gina Vivinetto, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026 Illustration by Patricia Bolaños In sleepy South Slope, a local son in search of a beer bar walked past a familiar, long-shuttered laundromat. — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026 Carlotta and Dedo have to do everything in their power to prove her innocence and avoid losing her again, with their investigation taking them to the heart of their sleepy suburban town, Sundersheim. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026 All the action in the Pacific is in contrast to the sleepy Atlantic basin, which has yet to see a single hurricane so far this year. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 23 Sep. 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
  • Saving the best for last, Reiter was certainly a bright spot on an otherwise dull episode.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026
  • These gadgets work wonders for at-home maintenance between in-office treatments, or on their own as a pick-me-up—targeting everything from stubborn hair to dull skin.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 7 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
  • The slow rate at which this is occurring indicates this cosmic vampirism will last for hundreds of thousands to billions of years.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The problem is that these systems are slow, expensive and don’t scale.
    — Reynald Fasciaux, Fortune, 8 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
  • All is peaceful under the long, lazy loggia laden with vibrant fuschia bougainvillaea – the Passeggiata dei Monaci – and in the neat orchards low-hanging with fat, bobbly Amalfi lemons.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • With the White Sox clinging to a one-run lead, Anthony Kay erased Yordan Alvarez on a lineout and got Jose Altuve to hit a lazy fly ball, ending the threat.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 1 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
  • After that adrenaline starts surging, a few motionless seconds can feel like a lifetime.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • In 1969, neurologist Oliver Sacks gave L-DOPA to patients who had spent decades nearly motionless after the encephalitis epidemic of the early 20th century.
    — Mallory Green, The Conversation, 8 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 13 Oct. 2026.

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