sleepless

[sleep-lis]

adjective

1. without sleep.

   a sleepless night.

2. watchful; alert.

   sleepless devotion to duty.

3. always active.

   the sleepless ocean.

sleepless

/ ˈsliːplɪs /

adjective

1. without sleep or rest

   a sleepless journey

2. unable to sleep

3. always watchful or alert

4. poetic,  always active or moving

   the sleepless tides

Other Word Forms

• sleeplessly adverb
• sleeplessness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sleepless¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; sleep, -less

Example Sentences

Omar Fateh steadied himself before the camera and flashed a smile between heavy blinks, the weight of a nearly sleepless night tugging at his eyelids.

From Salon

“There’s hundreds and hundreds of people that are still having sleepless nights.”

From Los Angeles Times

A pet owner says she has "sleepless nights" worrying about how she will cover the costs if her pets fall ill.

From BBC

The rate at which Haaland is racking up goals will be giving those players in front of him in the Premier League charts sleepless nights.

From BBC

But even they must endure one sleepless night contemplating unemployment.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fidgety