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
Outside of these scenarios, taking melatonin may not have as much upside—your brain is already making the melatonin that signals sleepy time each evening, and adding more simply presses the same button.
—
Erica Sloan, SELF, 6 Mar. 2026
The sleepy performance prompted glances among people in the gallery.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2026
Trade boards across the hockey world were left largely intact after a sleepy 2026 NHL trade deadline.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
The series’ Vladimir, played by Leo Woodall, is a rising literary star and a young father who’s just arrived at a sleepy upstate college, where he and his wife are set to teach.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sleepy
Erica Sloan, SELF, 6 Mar. 2026
The sleepy performance prompted glances among people in the gallery.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2026
Trade boards across the hockey world were left largely intact after a sleepy 2026 NHL trade deadline.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
The series’ Vladimir, played by Leo Woodall, is a rising literary star and a young father who’s just arrived at a sleepy upstate college, where he and his wife are set to teach.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sleepy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleepy
Adjective
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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
Adjective
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The news went wild on Twitter, with people meme-ing the hell out of the exceedingly dull headline.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
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If your home is primarily filled with neutrals and feels a bit dull, try introducing a few colorful accents.—
Tessa Cooper,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Back and forth, neither of us missing, the ball blurring between us in that hypnotic rhythm that makes everything else disappear.—
Gali Kronenberg,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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The hypnotic synths had the crowd gently head-bobbing in rhythm.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Experiencing that life cycle of knowing where my food comes from and watching my uncles do the butchering and then eating it the same day through slow roasting was really impactful for me as a kid.—
Claire Salinda,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Perhaps both movements could have animated each other; perhaps the subsequent fight for women’s suffrage would have been less sporadic and slow.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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For decades, road-trippers zoomed right past Wimberley, Texas—with its scenic vistas, untamed terrain, lazy tubing rivers, blooming wildflower fields, and tiny but tight-knit community.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
13 Mar. 2026
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Float down a natural lazy river.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Usually, treatment plans start with non-drowsy, second-generation antihistamines such as cetirizine (Zyrtec), loratadine (Claritin), or fexofenadine (Allegra).—
Zia Sherrell,
Health,
7 Mar. 2026
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Afternoons here are deliciously drowsy, spent dozing in the shade, gently parting calm sea water, or gliding past craggy rock formations in a little motor-boat.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Once at the lobby door, the officers immediately saw a man matching the description standing next to a podium while Robinson was lying motionless on the ground, according to the complaint.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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Hadel responded by punching Brown twice, sending him pummeling towards the ground, hitting his head on the pavement and lying motionless on the pavement.—
Mathew Schumer,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sleepy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleepy. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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