adjective
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heavy with sleepiness; sleepy
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inducing sleep; soporific
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sluggish or lethargic; dull
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of drowsy
Explanation
Drowsy means sleepy and having low energy. When you’re sitting in the warm sunlight after a big lunch, and you’re so drowsy you can’t keep your eyes open, it’s not the right time to try organizing your desk. Ah drowsy, a word that describes slow-moving lions and charming little towns equally well. It has a pleasant association to it, a nice cozy sleepiness, like the sort of feeling you have when you can’t exactly figure out why your eyes keep closing, they just do. Wine makes some people drowsy and a boring documentary will definitely do it to you. Drowsy comes from an Old English word meaning "falling," and has evolved into falling asleep.
Vocabulary lists containing drowsy
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act III
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"The Weary Blues" by Langston Hughes
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Milkweed
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As we emerge from the drowsy holidays with aspirations of being fitter and more productive, one social-media trend jumps out: How about waking up everyday at 5 a.m.?
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026
Reports say that nearly 1 in 5 fatal crashes in the U.S. involves a drowsy driver, resulting in roughly 6,000 preventable deaths a year.
From Slate • Nov. 26, 2025
"My baby became excessively drowsy, fed poorly and subsequently developed complications."
From BBC • May 2, 2025
What initially seems like seduction begins to feel like sedation, and the movie nearly loses itself in its drowsy rhythm.
From Salon • Sep. 28, 2024
We climb out, drowsy after sitting for so long.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
