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 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 The actress had a hard time slumbering after her week one mistakes, and now she’s expected to do a cartwheel into splits after tearing her hamstring? — Lynette Rice, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2025 The late-slumbering parent, meanwhile, can do remote work on their laptop at the table at night while the rest of the family sleeps comfortably. — New Atlas, 27 Aug. 2025

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

Noun

Here’s what’s at play — and what guests can do to protect their slumber.

— Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
Last year, the International Menopause Society published a white paper about how healthy lifestyle changes including improving slumber can do wonders for your perimenopause symptoms.

— Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of slumber

Verb

Who then might be a match for title holders who benefit from resting players in 18-club Ligue 1 and having a fresh team for the back-end of the Champions League each season?

— James Horncastle, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
The aircraft appeared to be resting on its belly and was largely intact despite the fire.

— Staff And Wire Reports, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of resting

Adjective

In a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Krishnamoorthi cited an NBC News investigation that identified 43 videos appearing to show individuals asleep in the driver’s seat of moving Teslas, including 17 posted this year alone.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2026
Like Harvey, Williams was asleep when she was awakened by a phone call from her husband, who was out of town.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of asleep

Noun

The researchers learned that parents were concerned by low-flying helicopter noise disrupting their children’s sleep and affecting their brain health.

— Caroline Montojo, STAT, 14 Sep. 2026
For instance, one study found that sleeptalkers get more than an hour and a half less sleep per night and roughly half as much REM sleep as nonsleeptalkers.

— Michael R. Nadorff, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of sleep

Verb

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
Victor Nicholas ended up dozing with his head on her shoulder.

— Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026

Definition of dozing

Adjective

Consider applying an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil after pruning to smother scale and insect eggs to the dormant roses.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2026
This barrier smothers dormant weed seeds and breaks down into rich soil by spring.

— Manjot Kaur Sidhu, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of dormant

Browse Nearby Words

slumberers

slumbering

slumberous

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Style

“Slumbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slumbering. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of slumbering

adjective

noun

verb

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