somniferous

American  

[som-nif-er-uhs, suhm-] / sɒmˈnɪf ər əs, səm- /

adjective

1. bringing or inducing sleep, as drugs or influences.

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somniferous British  

/ sɒmˈnɪfərəs /

adjective

1. rare tending to induce sleep

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Other Word Forms

• somniferously
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of somniferous

1595–1605; < Latin somnifer inducing sleep ( somni-, combining form of somnus sleep + -fer -fer ) + -ous

Explanation

Whether it's a medication or a boring lecture, something somniferous makes you sleepy. Like soporific, somniferous is a word used to describe something that puts you to sleep. Some people who have trouble snoozing take pills that are somniferous: sleeping pills. Others do somniferous things, like reading before bed or counting sheep. A bad public speaker can be really somniferous, and so can a boring movie. Anything somniferous makes you want to catch some Z's.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

somniferous

Everyone was back in the Dolby Theatre, a welcome return after last year’s somniferous experiment from Steven Soderbergh, which was held in Los Angeles’s Union Station.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 28, 2022

Still, it’s a somniferous situation for the photographers, who camp out in their cars for hours at a time for a few seconds of activity.

From New York Times ● Jun. 1, 2019

This yelp, sounding above the somniferous monotone of grumbling, stirred Cap'n Sproul from his dozing.

From The Skipper and the Skipped Being the Shore Log of Cap'n Aaron Sproul by Day, Holman

The poppy, from its somniferous effects, has been made symbolic of sleep and oblivion; hence Virgil calls it the Lethean poppy, whilst our old pastoral poet, William Browne, speaks of it as "sleep-bringing poppy."

From The Folk-lore of Plants by Dyer, T. F. Thiselton (Thomas Firminger Thiselton)

Her study of library-cataloguing, recording, books of reference, was easy and not too somniferous.

From Main Street by Lewis, Sinclair