insomnia

[in-som-nee-uh]

noun

1. inability to obtain sufficient sleep, especially when chronic; difficulty in falling or staying asleep; sleeplessness.

insomnia

/ ɪnˈsɒmnɪə /

noun

1. chronic inability to fall asleep or to enjoy uninterrupted sleep

insomnia

1. Chronic inability to fall asleep or remain asleep for an adequate length of time.

insomnia

1. A persistent and prolonged inability to sleep.

Other Word Forms

• insomnious adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of insomnia¹

First recorded in 1685–95; from Latin, equivalent to insomn(is) “sleepless” ( in- in- ³ + somn(us) “sleep” + -is, adjective suffix) + -ia -ia

Word History and Origins

Origin of insomnia¹

C18: from Latin, from insomnis sleepless, from somnus sleep

Example Sentences

I have a little bit of insomnia, so I really try to wind down.

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"I would close my eyes at night and see huge red tubs filled with body parts. I had insomnia. I wasn't sleeping."

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I had a huge amount of panic and worry that I wouldn't get the grades I needed to get into university, which resulted in migraines, vomiting and insomnia.

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Mrs Steele said she had been prescribed sleeping tablets due to suffering from insomnia since the incident.

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Han Ki-chang, a real estate agent and one of the 105 plaintiffs, says that he suffered from “martial law insomnia.”

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Related Words

• restlessness 

When To Use

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.