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
One meteor that plunged into the sleepy British town of Winchcombe in 2021 — leaving a sizable dent in a family’s driveway — was found to have a D/H ratio that almost perfectly matched that of Earth’s oceans.
—
Quanta Magazine, 12 June 2026
At the time, it was largely viewed as a sleepy networking company for enterprise.
—R. Scott Raynovich, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Spoilers ahead for Every Year After Every Year After is the latest TV show to mine drama from a sleepy cottage town.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 10 June 2026
The confluence of global competitive sports at the stadium during the past few decades has turned the once-sleepy suburb into a tourism powerhouse that’s trying to increase its brand recognition.
—Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sleepy
Quanta Magazine, 12 June 2026
At the time, it was largely viewed as a sleepy networking company for enterprise.
—R. Scott Raynovich, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Spoilers ahead for Every Year After Every Year After is the latest TV show to mine drama from a sleepy cottage town.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 10 June 2026
The confluence of global competitive sports at the stadium during the past few decades has turned the once-sleepy suburb into a tourism powerhouse that’s trying to increase its brand recognition.
—Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sleepy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleepy
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
Adjective
-
Agathe finds her boss’s remarks dull, but more or less shares these views.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
17 June 2026
-
Dish soap strips away the protective wax and can actually dull or damage the paint over time, leaving it more vulnerable to scratches and fading.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Hair follicle testing confirmed exposure to sedative-hypnotic drugs, but surveillance footage was destroyed after the hotel’s 30-day retention period elapsed before her preservation request could be honored.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 June 2026
-
His sustained concentration throughout the 70-minute performance was hypnotic.—
Thomas Rom,
ARTnews.com,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
The Virgo moon invites you to take a slower pace today.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
-
The Targaryen civil war has been a bit of a slow burn so far, though both sides of the family have suffered major casualties.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 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 Richmond’s James River stretch also offers calm stretches of flat water near the city center that are ideal for a lazy river tube run.—
Terry Ward,
Travel + Leisure,
17 June 2026
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Then the release, the arrival, the return to self, and a lazy, funny sort of shyness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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Allergy drugs can ease those symptoms and make people drowsy, potentially offering relief from insomnia.—
Kara Smythe,
EverydayHealth.com,
15 May 2026
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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
Adjective
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The orbs disappeared quickly most of the time, but in one instance, the agents said an orb hovered motionless in the sky for several hours.—
Collin Binkley,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
-
Multitudes fell down and lay motionless.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sleepy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleepy. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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