Standard Lemma guide

drowsiness

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈdɹæʊːzinəs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D R AW1 Z IY0 N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The state of being drowsy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a very sleepy state

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • sleepiness causes many driving accidents

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sleepiness, somnolence

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: temporary state

Narrower terms: oscitancy, oscitance

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English drowsy Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English drowsiness From drowsy + -ness.

Across languages

Translations

102 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: نُعَاس (nuʕās) — state of being drowsy
  • Arabic: سِنَة (sina) — state of being drowsy
  • Old Armenian: նիրհ (nirh) — state of being drowsy
  • Belarusian: санлі́васць (sanlívascʹ) — state of being drowsy
  • Belarusian: аспа́ласць (aspálascʹ) — state of being drowsy
  • Bulgarian: сънли́вост (sǎnlívost) — state of being drowsy
  • Catalan: somnolència — state of being drowsy
  • Catalan: son — state of being drowsy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 睡意 (shuìyì) — state of being drowsy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 嗜睡 (shìshuì) — state of being drowsy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 嗜睡症 (shìshuìzhèng) — state of being drowsy
  • Czech: ospalost — state of being drowsy
  • Dutch: slaperigheid — state of being drowsy
  • Finnish: uneliaisuus — state of being drowsy
  • French: somnolence — state of being drowsy
  • French: assoupissement — state of being drowsy
  • French: torpeur — state of being drowsy
  • Old French: dorveille — state of being drowsy
  • Georgian: თვლემა (tvlema) — state of being drowsy
  • Georgian: ძილიანობა (ʒilianoba) — state of being drowsy
  • Georgian: მოთენთილობა (motentiloba) — state of being drowsy
  • German: Schläfrigkeit — state of being drowsy
  • Greek: νύστα (nýsta) — state of being drowsy
  • Ancient Greek: νυσταγμός (nustagmós) — state of being drowsy
  • Ancient Greek: ληθᾱργῐ́ᾱ (lēthārgĭ́ā) — state of being drowsy
  • Hindi: झूम (jhūm) — state of being drowsy
  • Hungarian: álmosság — state of being drowsy
  • Hungarian: aluszékonyság — state of being drowsy
  • Icelandic: höfgi — state of being drowsy
  • Irish: codlatacht — state of being drowsy
  • Irish: marbhnéal — state of being drowsy
  • Irish: meathchodladh — state of being drowsy
  • Irish: míogarnach — state of being drowsy
  • Irish: múisiam — state of being drowsy
  • Irish: múisiúntacht — state of being drowsy
  • Irish: sáimhríocht — state of being drowsy
  • Irish: sámhántacht — state of being drowsy
  • Irish: scim — state of being drowsy
  • Irish: suanmhaireacht — state of being drowsy
  • Italian: sonnolenza — state of being drowsy
  • Italian: sopore — state of being drowsy
  • Italian: letargia — state of being drowsy
  • Italian: sopimento — state of being drowsy
  • Italian: abbiocco — state of being drowsy
  • Japanese: 眠気 (nemuke) — state of being drowsy
  • Japanese: 眠け (nemuke) — state of being drowsy
  • Korean: 졸음 (joreum) — state of being drowsy
  • Latin: somnus — state of being drowsy
  • Latin: sopor — state of being drowsy
  • Latin: lēthargus — state of being drowsy
  • Latin: somnolentia — state of being drowsy
  • Latin: lēthargia — state of being drowsy
  • Latvian: miegainums — state of being drowsy
  • Latvian: miegainība — state of being drowsy
  • Macedonian: поспаност (pospanost) — state of being drowsy
  • Navajo: bił — state of being drowsy
  • Pali: middha — state of being drowsy
  • Persian: خوابآلودی (xâb-âludi) — state of being drowsy
  • Polish: senność — state of being drowsy
  • Polish: ospałość — state of being drowsy
  • Polish: śpiączka — state of being drowsy
  • Portuguese: sonolência — state of being drowsy
  • Portuguese: torpor — state of being drowsy
  • Russian: сонли́вость (sonlívostʹ) — state of being drowsy
  • Russian: спя́чка (spjáčka) — state of being drowsy
  • Russian: дремо́та (dremóta) — state of being drowsy
  • Sanskrit: स्वप्न (svápna) — state of being drowsy
  • Scottish Gaelic: èislean — state of being drowsy
  • Serbo-Croatian: mȁmūrnōst — state of being drowsy
  • Serbo-Croatian: дрѐмљиво̄ст — state of being drowsy
  • Serbo-Croatian: pospanost — state of being drowsy
  • Serbo-Croatian: mȁmūrnōst — state of being drowsy
  • Serbo-Croatian: drèmljivōst — state of being drowsy
  • Serbo-Croatian: fjȁka — state of being drowsy
  • Slovak: ospalosť — state of being drowsy
  • Slovene: zaspanost — state of being drowsy
  • Spanish: soñolencia — state of being drowsy
  • Spanish: somnolencia — state of being drowsy
  • Spanish: sopor — state of being drowsy
  • Spanish: duermevela — state of being drowsy
  • Spanish: adormecimiento — state of being drowsy
  • Spanish: modorra — state of being drowsy
  • Swedish: sömnighet — state of being drowsy
  • Tagalog: antok — state of being drowsy
  • Tamil: அசதி (acati) — state of being drowsy
  • Tamil: தூக்கம் (tūkkam) — state of being drowsy
  • Tamil: மயக்கம் (mayakkam) — state of being drowsy
  • Telugu: మైకము (maikamu) — state of being drowsy
  • Thai: ความง่วง (kwaam-ngûuang) — state of being drowsy
  • Turkish: bilinçsizlik — state of being drowsy
  • Turkish: gaflet — state of being drowsy
  • Turkish: rehavet — state of being drowsy
  • Turkish: uyuşukluk — state of being drowsy
  • Ottoman Turkish: طالغینلق (dalgınlık) — state of being drowsy
  • Ukrainian: сонли́вість (sonlývistʹ) — state of being drowsy
  • Ukrainian: со́нність (sónnistʹ) — state of being drowsy
  • Ukrainian: сонно́та (sonnóta) — state of being drowsy
  • Ukrainian: сонли́виці (sonlývyci) — state of being drowsy
  • Ukrainian: оспа́лість (ospálistʹ) — state of being drowsy
  • Ukrainian: сонни́ці (sonnýci) — state of being drowsy
  • Urdu: جھوم (jhūm) — state of being drowsy
  • Urdu: غُنُودَگی (ġunūdagī) — state of being drowsy