noun · 3 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
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/ɪnˈsɒmniə/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:IH2 N S AA1 M N IY0 AH0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A sleeping disorder that is known for its symptoms of unrest and the inability to sleep.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: medicine, sciences
Examples
My mother suffers from insomnia.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Temporary inability to sleep.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, informal, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
an inability to sleep; chronic sleeplessness
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: hypersomnia
Broader terms: sleep disorder
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin īnsomnia, from Latin in- (“without”) + somnus (“sleep”, noun) + -ia, equivalent to in- + somn- + -ia.
Across languages
Translations
114 source translations are retained for this English entry.