SLUMBERING Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

slumbering 1 of 3

adjective

as in sleeping

being in a state of suspended consciousness made a comparison between the inattentive nation and a slumbering giant

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slumbering

2 of 3

noun

as in slumber

a natural periodic loss of consciousness during which the body restores itself my peaceful slumbering was interrupted by a ring of the doorbell

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slumbering

3 of 3

verb

present participle of slumber

as in resting

to be in a state of sleep she slumbered for hours while the train rolled on

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as in napping

to sleep lightly or briefly slumbering restlessly in the tropical heat

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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 slumbering

Adjective

Flat, slow, even sleepier than the slumbering crowd that had come to see him. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 The fireworks came instead from the Dodgers' slumbering offense, which awoke with Max Muncy's three-run double and Freddie Freeman's RBI single after Skubal departed. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026 The first murder is a girl slicing into her slumbering mother’s neck with a hacksaw; then her brother pounds his father’s face in with a baseball bat. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026 The shorthanded goal seemed to wake the slumbering Ducks, with Gauthier scoring on a power play 37 seconds later to halve the lead and become the first Duck with 40 goals in a season since Corey Perry in 2013-14. — Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 Transform a slumbering downtown into a bustling business sector. — Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026 The supermassive black hole sitting at the heart of our galaxy is considered to be a slumbering giant. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 Jan. 2026 Trump revived a slumbering American electorate and drove record turnout, winning and losing; Mamdani won more votes than any modern mayor. — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 10 Nov. 2025 Along the way, the protagonist must also find a way to lift the curse on his eternally slumbering friend, who happens to be the prince. — PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025

Verb

In particular, the image of the sickly, slumbering child recurs throughout Marcon’s work. — Matthew McLean, Artforum, 22 Sep. 2026 The winter months pass, long nights, a bomb cyclone that buries my basement windows in snow and leaves me to lurk in the dark like a slumbering bear, and then spring arrives abrupt and clanging and golden. — Brian Laidlaw, Longreads, 1 Sep. 2026 In other words, the long-slumbering giant in the US space industry may finally be waking up. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026 Their football was slumbering, stuttering. — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 31 May 2026 And amazingly, photographs of them have been slumbering in archives or circulating unidentified for almost a century. — Glenn Kurtz, Time, 28 Mar. 2026 Others showed baby Spero clasping his tiny hand around Graham's finger and slumbering with a smile on his face. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026 One of the men set fire to the slumbering victim’s clothes, causing a small blaze, police said. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026 The world's largest acidic geyser has begun erupting again in Yellowstone after slumbering for over five years, the national park said Monday. — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for slumbering

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

Verb

Attorneys representing James Barbier, the now-elderly Missouri man charged with first-degree murder in the 1966 stabbing death of 18-year-old Karen Snider in Calumet City, declined to call any witnesses before resting their case Friday.

— Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026
Prosecutors introduced evidence and testimony over about 4 ½ days before resting their case.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of resting

Verb

In school, this might happen when children are sitting very close to each other or napping alongside classmates.

— Emily J. C. Wong, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Its wide seat supports up to 300 pounds, while high-density foam provides plush support for comfortable reading, scrolling, or napping.

— Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of napping

Adjective

When his mother was murdered just outside her home, Justin was only 5 years old and asleep in his bedroom.

— Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Nov. 2026
On the other side of the bed was me, in my cozy pajamas, asleep under a white blanket with my head also turned to the right.

— Jenny Hughes, The Spruce, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of asleep

Noun

There’s also evidence supporting some non-drug treatments for hot flashes, night sweats and sleep or mood problems, ACOG said.

— Laura Ungar, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
Keziah teams up with a girl named Gigi to make Guy’s life a living nightmare, all the while contending with her own literal demon (a sleep paralysis demon who she’s named Steve) and with her growing feelings for Gigi.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of sleep

Verb

Even 15 seconds in N1 helped, but dozing deeper erased the benefit.

— Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 4 Nov. 2026
Nothing etches itself in your heart quite like the memory of watching a pack of energetic African wild dogs frolicking, a lioness and her cubs dozing on the Kalahari with your own kids tucked in close.

— Kathryn Romeyn, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 June 2026

Definition of dozing

Adjective

The zoonotic infectious disease is caused by spore-forming bacteria found naturally in soil in most parts of the world, which can remain dormant for long periods, according to the World Health Organization.

— Morgan Winsor, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
When to Cut Back Catmint Wait to cut back catmint until mid-winter, when the plant is dormant, or in early spring, to encourage new growth when the plant is preparing to exit dormancy.

— Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of dormant

Browse Nearby Words

slumberers

slumbering

slumberous

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“Slumbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slumbering. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of slumbering

adjective

noun

verb

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