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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Though the Colonel had many enemies, the violence of his death shocks the sleepy village and starts the tongues of the local gossips wagging. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 15 July 2026 De Niro and Scott are on hand as an estranged father and son who are brought back together when Scott’s character’s young son is abducted after the pair move back to his sleepy hometown after a horrible tragedy. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 July 2026 On Monday, developers unveiled new details about the future of a property once envisioned to bring hundreds of apartments and commercial space to a then-sleepy downtown corner. — Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 14 July 2026 Koya is the sleepy koala with baby blue fur and a violet nose. — Rin Velasco, The Providence Journal, 10 July 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
  • As Vanity Fair’s Chris Smith wrote in his May bombshell profile of LSU’s firestarter head football coach, The Lane Kiffin Show is never dull.
    — Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 17 July 2026
  • Photography Cookbooks and diet books tend to be dull without any photos.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026
Definition of dull
Adjective
  • Four Tet’s sense for sound design shines from crushed 8-bit drums to the hypnotic handpan grooves and sharp synth melodies.
    — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 19 July 2026
  • The London saxophonist and his ensemble fuse jazz with diverse strains of global trance music—Moroccan gnawa, Berlin kosmische—into a hypnotic, utopian expression of spiritual union.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 13 July 2026
Definition of hypnotic
Adjective
  • After the shooting, the victim’s car was seen on surveillance footage driving in slow circles as federal agents appeared to try and stop the vehicle.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • Thus far, capital markets more broadly have been slow to respond to this threat for a variety of reasons.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 18 July 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
  • In the nearly 90-second recording, Varela calls the customer service representative lazy, rude and racist and asks her for her name tag.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • Summer could be the perfect time to savor just about anything—from the long, lazy days to the farmers-market-fresh flavors.
    — Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 20 July 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
  • Nearly 27 years ago, Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin laid motionless on the concrete jungle surface of Veterans Stadium for the last time.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2026
  • On a recent afternoon outside the temple in central Kerala, Raman stood motionless as two children played, giggling and hugging its trunk.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 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 23 Jul. 2026.

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