1
as in sleeping
desiring or needing sleep
the sleepy children were carried up to bed
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2
as in dull
slow to move or act
a sleepy little town on the coast
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3
as in hypnotic
tending to cause sleep
the sleepy drone of his voice made staying awake a challenge
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4
as in slow
lacking in gaiety, movement, or animation
a sleepy party that was mostly attended by the same boring people I work with
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sleepy
It’s been a relatively sleepy race for all but the most avid political junkies.
—
Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
With one out in the fourth, Kerry Carpenter woke up a sleepy Tigers lineup with a solo home run into the visitors’ bullpen.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
While other Caribbean islands can be sleepy (too sleepy, sometimes) at night, the fun is just getting started when the sun sets in Curaçao.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
In theaters Friday after a strong reception at SXSW last month, the genre-scrambling, darkly comic neo-western casts him as Ulysses, a principled small-town sheriff who takes a temporary posting in a sleepy corner of Minnesota called Normal.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sleepy
Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
With one out in the fourth, Kerry Carpenter woke up a sleepy Tigers lineup with a solo home run into the visitors’ bullpen.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
While other Caribbean islands can be sleepy (too sleepy, sometimes) at night, the fun is just getting started when the sun sets in Curaçao.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
In theaters Friday after a strong reception at SXSW last month, the genre-scrambling, darkly comic neo-western casts him as Ulysses, a principled small-town sheriff who takes a temporary posting in a sleepy corner of Minnesota called Normal.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sleepy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleepy
Adjective
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An autopsy showed that the infant died from asphyxiation secondary to a co-sleeping/overlay event with an unsafe sleeping environment.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The same study notes that the hormonal cascade may even dull pain by activating peripheral nerves and autonomic pathways.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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Expecting dull days and strict rules, the boy instead stumbles into a world of delightful chaos and imagination – where outrageous stories are spun, and a world of wonder, memory and mischief unfolds.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The novel delivers all the frenzy of a gold rush with rhythmic, hypnotic prose.—
Kat Chen,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
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Whether built as a hypnotic, recurring shape, a rampant contagion or both, music this uncompromising and unpredictable always carries a message for those who need to hear it.—
Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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He is limited on passing downs and is more of a slow-burn pocket pusher than a man with a plan.—
Tobias Bass,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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In some cases, lenders may cover the costs of buydown for you (either partially or in full), if the market is particularly slow.—
Aly J Yale,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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That’s because when the body experiences physical stress, including losing weight quickly, more hairs can shift into a resting phase and fall out a few months later — typically two to three months after the event, Rossi explains.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
17 Feb. 2026
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This is a condition where, due to stress or hormonal changes, the body puts the hair follicles into a resting phase.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Giants third base coach Hector Borg waved Lee home, trying to take advantage of the wet conditions and a lazy throw back to the infield, but the Dodgers nabbed Lee with feet to spare.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
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That film felt rushed, inconsistent, and lazy.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Getting a full eight hours of sleep and still feeling drowsy?—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
22 Mar. 2026
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Legal Consequences of Drowsy Driving While drowsy or fatigued driving may not lead to criminal charges as serious as DUI or DWI, a person who is accused of driving unsafely may still face penalties.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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At the sweet sound of the final whistle, Martin Odegaard rolled onto the turf and lay there motionless.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Video from the scene showed Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters using a jack to raise the wreckage of a car off a motionless person and check for vital signs.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sleepy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleepy. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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