insomnia
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does insomnia mean? Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep for an adequate amount of time. Insomnia is often used casually to refer to occasional sleeplessness or a single instance of it. But in medical terms, insomnia typically refers to a condition involving a chronic inability to fall or stay asleep, meaning the inability is persistent and prolonged—it happens all the time. A person who experiences insomnia can be called an insomniac. Example: My insomnia gets worse when I’m under a lot of stress.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of insomnia
First recorded in 1685–95; from Latin, equivalent to insomn(is) “sleepless” ( in- in- 3 + somn(us) “sleep” + -is, adjective suffix) + -ia -ia
Explanation
A person who has trouble falling or staying asleep is suffering from insomnia. If after a hot bath, a glass of warm milk, and hours of counting sheep, you still find yourself lying wide awake in bed, it's time to admit you have insomnia. There's no cure for insomnia, but people with insomnia are advised to go to bed at the same time every night and to try to avoid stress. The noun insomnia was borrowed from Latin insomnis "sleepless," from the prefix in-, "not," plus somnus, "sleep." Somnus is actually related to Greek hypnos "sleep," the source of English words such as hypnosis and hypnotic.
Vocabulary lists containing insomnia
Psychological Conditions and Disorders
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Psychology
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The latter is promoted as a substance that can prevent aging, and help with insomnia.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
The committee voted against one peptide called Emideltide, evaluated for opioid withdrawal, chronic insomnia, and narcolepsy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Emideltide: The FDA committee largely voted “no” on this peptide, which has been promoted as a tool to address insomnia, narcolepsy and opioid withdrawal.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
The stress meant his wife suffered "significant mental and physical symptoms", including insomnia, heart palpitations, panic attacks, and many episodes of crying, he added.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
She tossed and turned in her bed, tormented by an unrelenting case of insomnia.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
He contemplated the black immensity pierced by a multitude of lights, without giving a thought to all the heavy slumbers, cruel insomnias, vain dreams, spoilt pleasures, and infinitely diverse miseries that a great city contains.
From Penguin Island by France, Anatole
They prattled of the dietary and idiosyncrasies of their several insomnias as though they had been so many exacting pet animals.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, 1920-02-18 by Various
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.
