sleepy
Americanadjective
-
sleepier,
comparative
-
sleepiest
superlative
-
ready or inclined to sleep; drowsy.
- Synonyms:
- slumberous, somnolent, tired
-
of or showing drowsiness.
-
languid; languorous.
a sleepy gesture.
-
lethargic; sluggish.
a sleepy brook.
-
quiet.
a sleepy village.
-
inducing sleep; soporific.
sleepy warmth.
adjective
-
inclined to or needing sleep; drowsy
-
characterized by or exhibiting drowsiness, sluggishness, etc
-
conducive to sleep; soporific
-
without activity or bustle
a sleepy town
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of sleepy
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at sleep, -y 1
Explanation
When you're sleepy, you're tired or drowsy. Snow White's dwarf who is always yawning? That's Sleepy! Sleepy people need to sleep. Sleepy things (like a sleepy yawn or a sleepy face) can be evidence of how exhausted someone is. If a place is described as sleepy, it means "unexciting" or "without activity," so you could call the little village where your grandparents live a sleepy town. You can also call your tired friend a "sleepy head," a term that's been around since the 1500s.
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:
Every gubernatorial election since that race has been sleepy and ignored in national politics, with Democratic candidates coasting to victory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
"During that first week he was very sleepy, didn't wake very often and was very difficult to feed."
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
The 2.4-gigawatt Rooppur nuclear plant, a $13-billion project more than a decade in the making, has transformed the once sleepy nearby village of the same name, bringing Russian workers, new businesses and jobs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
By the 13th day of using the oil, participants said they felt less sleepy after waking and more recovered from fatigue compared with periods when they used the unscented control.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
I always get weirdly philosophical when I’m sleepy.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
After next week, deal flow may slow during the usually sleepier months of July and August and pick back up again after Labor Day.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
As a shopping event, the day itself is sleepier, and the deals are available much longer.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 26, 2025
And when you’re sleepier, it stands to reason, you sleep more easily.
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2025
While December remains a sleepier month for new book releases than other times of the year, December 2024 offers quite a few terrific titles, so many that it was difficult to choose among them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2024
Whatever Ben has done...I feel myself getting sleepier.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
When the sleepiest central bank on Earth becomes the one that matters, the plot has thickened.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Time of day factors in because of our biological clocks; we’re sleepiest late at night and early in the morning.
From Slate ● Nov. 26, 2025
Even the sleepiest off-season Sunday can suddenly erupt into the latest melodramatic controversy, with rumours, counter-rumours and abrupt U-turns a matter of course.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2025
That may be because the sleeper is also the sleepiest.
From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2022
Finally Dragon, protesting with only the sleepiest of whines, was picked up and deposited on the back porch.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
