Standard Lemma guide

sleepless

adj · 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

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.

  • /ˈsliːpləs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S L IY1 P L AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Characterized by an absence of sleep: wakeful.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I spent a sleepless night worrying about the exams.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

always watchful- Alfred Tennyson

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • to an eye like mine, a lidless watcher of the public weal

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lidless

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

experiencing or accompanied by sleeplessness- Shakespeare

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • insomniac old people
  • insomniac nights
  • lay sleepless all night
  • twenty watchful, weary, tedious nights

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: insomniac, watchful

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English slepeles, from Old English slǣplēas; equivalent to sleep + -less.

Across languages

Translations

45 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: yuxusuz — absence of sleep
  • Belarusian: бяссо́нны (bjassónny) — absence of sleep
  • Bulgarian: безсънен (bezsǎnen) — absence of sleep
  • Catalan: insomne — absence of sleep
  • Czech: bezesný — absence of sleep
  • Dutch: slapeloos — absence of sleep
  • Esperanto: sendorma — absence of sleep
  • Finnish: uneton — absence of sleep
  • French: insomniaque — absence of sleep
  • Georgian: უძილარი (uʒilari) — absence of sleep
  • Georgian: უძინარი (uʒinari) — absence of sleep
  • Georgian: გამოუძინებელი (gamouʒinebeli) — absence of sleep
  • Georgian: უძილო (uʒilo) — absence of sleep
  • German: schlaflos — absence of sleep
  • Ancient Greek: ἄγρυπνος (ágrupnos) — absence of sleep
  • Hindi: उन्निद्र (unnidra) — absence of sleep
  • Hindi: अनिद्रा (anidrā) — absence of sleep
  • Hungarian: álmatlan — absence of sleep
  • Ingrian: unetoin — absence of sleep
  • Japanese: 寝不足 (nebusoku) — absence of sleep
  • Kazakh: ұйқысыз (ūiqysyz) — absence of sleep
  • Kyrgyz: уйкусуз (uykusuz) — absence of sleep
  • Latin: insomnis — absence of sleep
  • Latin: insopor — absence of sleep
  • Manx: sheer-ghooisht — absence of sleep
  • Māori: koheko — absence of sleep
  • Māori: whakawhetū — absence of sleep
  • Middle English: sleples — absence of sleep
  • Norwegian Bokmål: søvnløs — absence of sleep
  • Plautdietsch: schloplooss — absence of sleep
  • Polish: bezsenny — absence of sleep
  • Portuguese: insone — absence of sleep
  • Romanian: nedormit — absence of sleep
  • Russian: бессо́нный (bessónnyj) — absence of sleep
  • Spanish: sin dormir — absence of sleep
  • Spanish: de desvelo — absence of sleep
  • Spanish: desvelado — absence of sleep
  • Spanish: en vela — absence of sleep
  • Swedish: sömnlös — absence of sleep
  • Tagalog: puyat — absence of sleep
  • Turkish: uykusuz — absence of sleep
  • Ottoman Turkish: اویقوسز (uykusuz) — absence of sleep
  • Ottoman Turkish: سهران (sehran) — absence of sleep
  • Ukrainian: безсо́нний (bezsónnyj) — absence of sleep
  • Welsh: di-gwsg — absence of sleep
Real reading context

sleepless in complete knowledge articles