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drowsy

[drou-zee]
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adjective, drow·si·er, drow·si·est.
  1. half-asleep; sleepy.
  2. marked by or resulting from sleepiness.
  3. dull; sluggish.
  4. inducing lethargy or sleepiness: drowsy spring weather.
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Origin of drowsy

First recorded in 1520–30; drowse + -y1
Related formsdrow·si·ly, adverbdrow·si·ness, noun

Synonyms

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1. somnolent, dozy. 3. lethargic, listless.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

languidlyslowlydrowsilysluggishly

Examples from the Web for drowsily

Historical Examples

  • "I'll ask you in the morning," muttered Yates drowsily—after which there was silence in the tent.

    In the Midst of Alarms

    Robert Barr

  • Finally his stirrings roused her and she asked him drowsily what ailed him.

  • They feed him some broth and a little wine, and he drops off drowsily again.

    Floyd Grandon's Honor

    Amanda Minnie Douglas

  • “Ah, Roberts,” sighed Bracy drowsily as he raised himself on one arm.

    Fix Bay'nets

    George Manville Fenn

  • "Of course not," answered Amy, drowsily; but Fayette looked as if he did not understand.

    Reels and Spindles

    Evelyn Raymond

British Dictionary definitions for drowsily

drowsy

adjective drowsier or drowsiest
  1. heavy with sleepiness; sleepy
  2. inducing sleep; soporific
  3. sluggish or lethargic; dull
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Derived Formsdrowsily, adverbdrowsiness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for drowsily

drowsy

adj.

1520s, probably ultimately from Old English drusan, drusian "sink," also "become languid, slow, or inactive" (related to dreosan "to fall"), from Proto-Germanic *drus- (see dreary). But there is no record of it in Middle English. Related: Drowsily; drowsiness.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper