soporific
Americanadjective
-
causing or tending to cause sleep.
-
pertaining to or characterized by sleep or sleepiness; sleepy; drowsy.
noun
adjective
-
inducing sleep
-
drowsy; sleepy
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of soporific
1655–65; < Latin sopor sopor + -i- + -fic; compare French soporifique
Explanation
Something that is soporific is sleep-inducing. Certain medicines, but also extreme coziness, can have a soporific effect. In the 1680’s, soporific, which doubles as both adjective and noun, was formed from the French soporifique. That word, in turn, came from the Latin sopor “deep sleep.” Beloved Peter Rabbit author Beatrix Potter once noted that, “It is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is 'soporific'."
Vocabulary lists containing soporific
Jane Eyre
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!
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
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!
"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 6
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:
In the soporific Irish midlands, Marty Hawkins is reminded that “fields breed fatalism,” which suits his mood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
Shimizu is an exploratory jazz musician who has of late gained popularity for his television scores and inoffensively ambient music that employs soporific electronics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
For all that the occasional grand prix can be soporific, and for all many drivers expect this one to be, a race can go awry in many more ways than it can go well.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025
It’s so effective a soporific that most nights I struggle to read for more than 10 minutes, which is both satisfying and maddening.
From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2024
I discovered Emerson’s soporific qualities the hard way, by falling asleep with my face in the book, drooling all over an essay called “Self-Reliance” and having the vending-machine dream for the sixth time that week.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
Exposure to sunlight prevents the brain from producing melatonin and other natural soporifics.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 23, 2016
At least these were incendiary devices; elsewhere one found soporifics.
From Time Magazine Archive
Many of the antihistamines, intended to relieve allergies, are also prescribed as soporifics.
From Time Magazine Archive
It surely ought to work for those viewers lulled these many years by cinema soporifics.
From Time Magazine Archive
Do not waste your time listening to meaningless ser- mons, but take real, genuine soporifics.
From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 5 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Discussions by Ingersoll, Robert Green
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.
