sleepy
- 01 A1 Beginner
adj.feeling like you want to sleep.
adj.experiencing a physiological desire for sleep; drowsy.
Simple“The warm milk made the toddler feel very sleepy after dinner.”
In context“After a long day of hiking in the mountain air, the entire group felt sleepy and retired to their tents before sunset.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
adj.describing a place where nothing much happens and it is very quiet.
adj.characterised by a lack of activity, excitement, or bustle; often used to describe small towns.
Simple“They moved from the city to a sleepy village by the sea.”
In context“The once sleepy fishing port was transformed into a major tourist destination within a single decade.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.something that makes you feel tired or relaxed.
adj.having the quality of inducing drowsiness or a state of relaxation.
Simple“The sleepy music helped the baby fall into a deep rest.”
In context“The afternoon lecture was delivered in such a sleepy monotone that several students struggled to remain attentive.”
Antonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
n.the dried substance that sometimes collects in the corners of your eyes while you sleep.
n.the dried mucus or rheum that accumulates in the inner corners of the eyes during sleep.
Simple“He rubbed the sleepy out of his eyes as soon as he woke up.”
In context“The child complained of a scratchy sensation, unaware it was merely a bit of dried sleepy caught in his eyelashes.”
UsageUsually used in the singular in this sense, though 'sleepies' appears in some dialects.
Synonymsrheumgound
sleepy vs asleep — Asleep describes the state of being in slumber, while sleepy describes the physical urge or desire to begin sleeping.
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *slēpaz Proto-West Germanic *slāp Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Proto-West Germanic *slāpag Old English *slǣpiġ Middle English slepy English sleepy From Middle English slepy, from Old English slǣpiġ (attested in unslǣpiġ (“sleepless”)), from Proto-West Germanic slāpag (“sleepy”), equivalent to sleep + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian släipich (“sleepy”), West Frisian sliepich (“sleepy”), dialectal Dutch slapig, slepig (“sleepy”), German Low German slapig, släpig, slöpig (“sleepy”), archaic German schlafig (“sleepy”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.