Standard Lemma guide

sleepiness

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

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  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S L IY1 P IY0 N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The property of being sleepy.

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: drowsiness, somnolence

Antonyms: wakefulness

Broader terms: temporary state

Narrower terms: oscitancy, oscitance

History

Etymology

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 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 sleepiness From sleepy + -ness.

Across languages

Translations

64 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: نُعَاس (nuʕās) — property of being sleepy
  • Arabic: سِنَة (sina) — property of being sleepy
  • Belarusian: санлі́васць (sanlívascʹ) — property of being sleepy
  • Belarusian: аспа́ласць (aspálascʹ) — property of being sleepy
  • Bulgarian: сънли́вост (sǎnlívost) — property of being sleepy
  • Catalan: son — property of being sleepy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 睡意 (shuìyì) — property of being sleepy
  • Czech: ospalost — property of being sleepy
  • Danish: søvnighed — property of being sleepy
  • Dutch: slaperigheid — property of being sleepy
  • Finnish: uneliaisuus — property of being sleepy
  • French: somnolence — property of being sleepy
  • Galician: sono — property of being sleepy
  • Galician: somnolencia — property of being sleepy
  • Georgian: ძილიანობა (ʒilianoba) — property of being sleepy
  • German: Schläfrigkeit — property of being sleepy
  • Hungarian: álmosság — property of being sleepy
  • Icelandic: svefnhöfgi — property of being sleepy
  • Icelandic: syfja — property of being sleepy
  • Japanese: 眠気 (nemuke) — property of being sleepy
  • Khmer: ងងុយ (ngɔɔngɔnguy) — property of being sleepy
  • Korean: 졸음 (joreum) — property of being sleepy
  • Kyrgyz: уйкучулдук (uykuculduk) — property of being sleepy
  • Latin: veternus — property of being sleepy
  • Latvian: miegainums — property of being sleepy
  • Latvian: miegainība — property of being sleepy
  • Lithuanian: mieguistumas — property of being sleepy
  • Macedonian: поспаност (pospanost) — property of being sleepy
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tretthet — property of being sleepy
  • Norwegian Bokmål: trøtthet — property of being sleepy
  • Norwegian Bokmål: søvnighet — property of being sleepy
  • Persian: خوابآلودی (xâb-âludi) — property of being sleepy
  • Polish: senność — property of being sleepy
  • Polish: ospałość — property of being sleepy
  • Polish: śpiączka — property of being sleepy
  • Portuguese: sonolência — property of being sleepy
  • Romanian: somnolență — property of being sleepy
  • Russian: сонли́вость (sonlívostʹ) — property of being sleepy
  • Russian: спя́чка (spjáčka) — property of being sleepy
  • Russian: дремо́та (dremóta) — property of being sleepy
  • Slovak: ospalosť — property of being sleepy
  • Slovene: zaspanost — property of being sleepy
  • Spanish: sueño — property of being sleepy
  • Spanish: tuto — property of being sleepy
  • Spanish: somnolencia — property of being sleepy
  • Spanish: soñolencia — property of being sleepy
  • Spanish: modorra — property of being sleepy
  • Spanish: sopor — property of being sleepy
  • Spanish: soñera — property of being sleepy
  • Spanish: soñarrera — property of being sleepy
  • Spanish: duermevela — property of being sleepy
  • Swedish: sömnighet — property of being sleepy
  • Tamil: அசதி (acati) — property of being sleepy
  • Tamil: தூக்கம் (tūkkam) — property of being sleepy
  • Tamil: மயக்கம் (mayakkam) — property of being sleepy
  • Thai: ความง่วง (kwaam-ngûuang) — property of being sleepy
  • Tocharian B: kläntsauñe — property of being sleepy
  • Ottoman Turkish: طالغینلق (dalgınlık) — property of being sleepy
  • Ukrainian: сонли́вість (sonlývistʹ) — property of being sleepy
  • Ukrainian: со́нність (sónnistʹ) — property of being sleepy
  • Ukrainian: сонно́та (sonnóta) — property of being sleepy
  • Ukrainian: сонли́виці (sonlývyci) — property of being sleepy
  • Ukrainian: оспа́лість (ospálistʹ) — property of being sleepy
  • Ukrainian: сонни́ці (sonnýci) — property of being sleepy