Word forms: comparative sleepier, superlative sleepiest
1. adjective [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If you are sleepy, you are very tired and are almost asleep.
I was beginning to feel amazingly sleepy.
She was still tired and sleepy when he woke her.
Synonyms: drowsy, sluggish, lethargic, heavy More Synonyms of sleepy
sleepilyadverb [ADVERB with verb]
Joanna sat up, blinking sleepily.
sleepinessuncountable noun
He tried to fight the sleepiness that overwhelmed him.
Synonyms: drowsiness, lethargy, torpor, heaviness More Synonyms of sleepy
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A sleepy place is quiet and does not have much activity or excitement.
Valence is a sleepy little town just south of Lyon.
More Synonyms of sleepy
sleepy in British English
(ˈsliːpɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: sleepier or sleepiest
1.
inclined to or needing sleep; drowsy
2.
characterized by or exhibiting drowsiness, sluggishness, etc
3.
conducive to sleep; soporific
4.
without activity or bustle
a sleepy town
Derived forms
sleepily (ˈsleepily)
adverb
sleepiness (ˈsleepiness)
noun
sleepy in American English
(ˈslipi)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈsleepier or ˈsleepiest
1.
ready or inclined to sleep; drowsy
2.
not very active; dull; quiet
a sleepy little town
3.
of, causing, or showing drowsiness
SYNONYMY NOTE: sleepy applies to a person who is nearly overcome by a desire to sleep and, figuratively,suggests either the power to induce sleepiness or a resemblance to this state [a sleepy town, song, etc.]; drowsy stresses the sluggishness or lethargic heaviness accompanying sleepiness [the drowsy sentry fought off sleep through the watch]; somnolent is a formal equivalent of either of the preceding [the somnolent voice of the speaker]; slumberous, a poetic equivalent, in addition sometimes suggests latent powers in repose [a slumberous city]
Examples of 'sleepy' in a sentence
sleepy
They make you feel sleepy and heavy.
Jerome K. Jerome Three Men in a Boat (1889)
It can make for a sleepy afternoon.
The Sun (2015)
Yesterday the sleepy east coast village was rocked by the tragedy.
The Sun (2008)
One of the most popular ways to explore this sleepy corner of the country is by bicycle.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Have you noticed that sea air leaves you feeling relaxed and sleepy?
Colette Harris, With Theresa Cheung PCOS DIET BOOK: How you can use the nutritional approach to deal with polycysticovary syndrome (2002)
Do you regularly feel drowsy or sleepy in the day?
Holford, Patrick The Family Nutrition Workbook (1988)
Avoid daytime naps and only head for bed when you are feeling sleepy.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
What next in this sleepy village?
The Sun (2013)
This sleepy seaside town in southeast Dorset is happily trapped in a time warp.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
To fight that sleepy feeling during the day, you need sunlight.
The Sun (2014)
Paphos is now a busy, sprawling resort having grown from a sleepy little fishing port.
The Sun (2011)
It was a typically sleepy afternoon in Geneva.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
At first, getting up early on weekends may make you feel sleepy in the afternoon.
The Sun (2014)
The treatment elicited a wonderful feeling of sleepy calm, with effects lasting well into the following day.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
It's not so much the locals from this sleepy hollow village that have taken all the space but the media.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
THIS sleepy little angel looks adorable in a Santa hat.
The Sun (2014)
From a sleepy place of 1,200 souls in winter, the town has enough beds to grow tenfold come summer.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
If rising early on weekends makes you feel sleepy in the afternoon, nap for 30 mins but no longer.
The Sun (2012)
But... before I opened there it was a sleepy little fishing village with no economy.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The sleepy Dorset town better known for its elderly population is THE happening resort on our south coast this summer.
The Sun (2009)
Word lists with
sleepy
dwarf
In other languages
sleepy
British English: sleepy /ˈsliːpɪ/ ADJECTIVE
If you feel sleepy, you feel tired and ready to go to sleep.
`Are we here?' she said in a sleepy voice.
American English: sleepy
Arabic: نَعْسَان
Brazilian Portuguese: sonolento
Chinese: 困倦的
Croatian: pospan
Czech: ospalý
Danish: søvnig
Dutch: slaperig
European Spanish: somnoliento adormilado
Finnish: uninen
French: endormi
German: schläfrig
Greek: νυσταγμένος
Italian: assonnato
Japanese: 眠い
Korean: 졸리는
Norwegian: søvnig
Polish: senny
European Portuguese: sonolento
Romanian: somnoros
Russian: сонный
Latin American Spanish: somnoliento
Swedish: sömnig
Thai: ง่วงนอน
Turkish: uykulu
Ukrainian: сонний
Vietnamese: buồn ngủ
Chinese translation of 'sleepy'
sleepy
(ˈsliːpɪ)
adj
[person]困(睏)的 (kùn de)
[village, town]冷清的 (lěngqīng de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
tired and ready for sleep
I was beginning to feel amazingly sleepy.
Synonyms
drowsy
He felt pleasantly drowsy.
sluggish
feeling sluggish and lethargic after a big meal
lethargic
He felt too miserable and lethargic to get dressed.
heavy
I struggle to raise eyelids still heavy with sleep.
dull
We all feel dull and sleepy between 1 and 3pm.
inactive
somnolent
torpid
He led a lazy, torpid life at the weekends.
slumbersome
Opposites
active
,
alert
,
lively
,
awake
,
energetic
,
animated
,
restless
,
attentive
,
boisterous
,
wide-awake
,
alive and kicking
,
wakeful
,
full of beans (informal)
2 (adjective)
How long we spent there in that sleepy heat, I don't know.
Synonyms
soporific
the soporific effects of alcohol
hypnotic
The hypnotic state lies between being awake and being asleep.
somnolent
The sedative makes people very somnolent.
sleep-inducing
slumberous
3 (adjective)
Definition
(of a place) without activity or excitement
a sleepy little town
Synonyms
quiet
a quiet rural backwater
peaceful
a peaceful scene
dull
tranquil
She lived a tranquil life.
inactive
They certainly were not politically inactive.
Opposites
active
,
busy
,
lively
,
thriving
,
bustling
Additional synonyms
in the sense of dull
Definition
not lively or energetic
We all feel dull and sleepy between 1 and 3pm.
Synonyms
lifeless,
dead,
heavy,
slow,
indifferent,
sluggish,
insensitive,
apathetic,
listless,
unresponsive,
passionless,
insensible
in the sense of heavy
Definition
clumsy and slow
I struggle to raise eyelids still heavy with sleep.
Synonyms
sluggish,
slow,
dull,
wooden,
stupid,
inactive,
inert,
apathetic,
drowsy,
listless,
indolent,
torpid,
hevE
in the sense of hypnotic
Definition
of or producing hypnosis or sleep
The hypnotic state lies between being awake and being asleep.
Synonyms
mesmeric,
soothing,
narcotic,
opiate,
soporific,
sleep-inducing,
somniferous
Synonyms of 'sleepy'
sleepy
Explore 'sleepy' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of inactive
They certainly were not politically inactive.
Synonyms
lazy,
passive,
slow,
quiet,
dull,
low-key (informal),
sluggish,
lethargic,
sedentary,
indolent,
somnolent,
torpid,
slothful (formal)
in the sense of lethargic
He felt too miserable and lethargic to get dressed.