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
It’s been a relatively sleepy race for all but the most avid political junkies.
—
Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
With one out in the fourth, Kerry Carpenter woke up a sleepy Tigers lineup with a solo home run into the visitors’ bullpen.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
While other Caribbean islands can be sleepy (too sleepy, sometimes) at night, the fun is just getting started when the sun sets in Curaçao.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
In theaters Friday after a strong reception at SXSW last month, the genre-scrambling, darkly comic neo-western casts him as Ulysses, a principled small-town sheriff who takes a temporary posting in a sleepy corner of Minnesota called Normal.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sleepy
Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
With one out in the fourth, Kerry Carpenter woke up a sleepy Tigers lineup with a solo home run into the visitors’ bullpen.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
While other Caribbean islands can be sleepy (too sleepy, sometimes) at night, the fun is just getting started when the sun sets in Curaçao.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
In theaters Friday after a strong reception at SXSW last month, the genre-scrambling, darkly comic neo-western casts him as Ulysses, a principled small-town sheriff who takes a temporary posting in a sleepy corner of Minnesota called Normal.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 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 same study notes that the hormonal cascade may even dull pain by activating peripheral nerves and autonomic pathways.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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Expecting dull days and strict rules, the boy instead stumbles into a world of delightful chaos and imagination – where outrageous stories are spun, and a world of wonder, memory and mischief unfolds.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The London Symphony Orchestra and the Escolania de Montserrat i Cor Cambra Palau de la Música Catalana choir bolster the album, their arrangements ranging from anxious and erratic to soothing and hypnotic.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 May 2026
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This reimagining of a niche Japanese Dreamcast game turns the simple game of squash into a mind-bending journey through space and time, thanks to hypnotic visuals and music.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Banchero up-and-down The Magic superstar forward got off to a slow start by opening 1-for-6 from the field, including missing his first four 3-pointers.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 May 2026
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More Americans are heading into retirement without a pension, and are instead leaning on savings accounts and investment portfolios that have become increasingly subject to market swings and the slow erosion of inflation.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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But decadents only break taboos in a bloodless, symbolic way—they’re too lazy and refined for murder.—
Olivia Kan-Sperling,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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Baseball, which is dying all over the place, should get off its fat, lazy a--, and elect Pete Rose, even though far too late, into the Baseball Hall of Fame!—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Key Takeaways Allergy medications that cause drowsiness are best taken at night, while non-drowsy options can be taken in the morning or evening.—
T'Keyah Bazin,
Verywell Health,
27 Apr. 2026
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Getting a full eight hours of sleep and still feeling drowsy?—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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At the sweet sound of the final whistle, Martin Odegaard rolled onto the turf and lay there motionless.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Video from the scene showed Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters using a jack to raise the wreckage of a car off a motionless person and check for vital signs.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sleepy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleepy. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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