Standard Lemma guide

soporific

adj · noun · 7 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.

  • UK: /ˌsɒp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk/
  • UK: /ˌsəʊ.pəˈɹɪf.ɪk/
  • US: /ˌsɑp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk/
  • US: /ˌsoʊ.pəˈɹɪf.ɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪfɪk

1

adj

Meaning 1

Tending to induce sleep.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, pharmacology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Boring, dull.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • The professor delivered a soporific lecture.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: banal, basic, beat, blah, commonplace, bland, boring, cold, colourless, corny, drab, stuffy, dreich, drowsy, dull, dull as dishwater, flat, heavy going, ho-hum, humdrum, insipid, lackluster, lame, languid, lifeless, longsome, monotonous, mundane, no fun at parties, plain, plodding, prosaic, prosy, pedantic, pedestrian, static, straightforward, snoozeworthy, soporific, tedious, uncool, wan, weaksauce, wooden, uninteresting, stodgy, vapid, vanilla

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Something inducing sleep, especially a drug.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, pharmacology, sciences

Examples

  • The doctor prescribed a soporific to help the patient sleep.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Something boring or dull.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

inducing mental lethargy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a narcotic speech

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: narcotic, soporiferous

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

sleep inducing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: soporiferous, somniferous, somnific, hypnogogic, hypnagogic

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

a drug that induces sleep

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hypnotic

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: drug, hypnagogue

Narrower terms: narcoleptic, sleeping pill, sleeping tablet, sleeping capsule, sleeping draught

History

Etymology

From French soporifique, from Latin sopor (“deep sleep”). Unrelated to stupor (distinct in Proto-Indo-European).

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُنَوِّم (munawwim) — tending to induce sleep
  • Armenian: քնաբեր (kʻnaber) — tending to induce sleep
  • Bulgarian: приспива́телен (prispivátelen) — tending to induce sleep
  • Bulgarian: сънотво́рен (sǎnotvóren) — tending to induce sleep
  • Catalan: soporífer — tending to induce sleep
  • Catalan: soporífic — tending to induce sleep
  • Catalan: narcòtic — tending to induce sleep
  • Catalan: somnífer — tending to induce sleep
  • Catalan: hipnòtic — tending to induce sleep
  • Chinese Mandarin: 催眠的 (cuīmián de) — tending to induce sleep
  • Czech: uspávající — tending to induce sleep
  • Dutch: soporatief — tending to induce sleep
  • Dutch: slaapverwekkend — tending to induce sleep
  • Finnish: unettava — tending to induce sleep
  • French: soporifique — tending to induce sleep
  • Georgian: ძილის მომგვრელი (ʒilis momgvreli) — tending to induce sleep
  • Georgian: დამაძინებელი (damaʒinebeli) — tending to induce sleep
  • German: einschläfernd — tending to induce sleep
  • Greek: υπνωτικός (ypnotikós) — tending to induce sleep
  • Ancient Greek: ὑπνωτικός (hupnōtikós) — tending to induce sleep
  • Interlingua: soporific — tending to induce sleep
  • Italian: soporifero — tending to induce sleep
  • Italian: addormentativo — tending to induce sleep
  • Italian: addormentatore — tending to induce sleep
  • Korean: 잠이 오게 하는 (jami oge haneun) — tending to induce sleep
  • Northern Kurdish: xewîner — tending to induce sleep
  • Latin: somnifer — tending to induce sleep
  • Latin: somnificus — tending to induce sleep
  • Māori: rongoā whakamoe — tending to induce sleep
  • Persian: خوابآور (xâb-âvar) — tending to induce sleep
  • Portuguese: soporífero — tending to induce sleep
  • Portuguese: soporífico — tending to induce sleep
  • Russian: усыпляющий (usypljajuščij) — tending to induce sleep
  • Russian: навевающий сон (navevajuščij son) — tending to induce sleep
  • Russian: вводящий в сон (vvodjaščij v son) — tending to induce sleep
  • Russian: снотво́рный (snotvórnyj) — tending to induce sleep
  • Russian: убаю́кивающий (ubajúkivajuščij) — tending to induce sleep
  • Spanish: soporífico — tending to induce sleep
  • Spanish: somnífero — tending to induce sleep
  • Swedish: sövande — tending to induce sleep
  • Arabic: مُنَوِّم (munawwim) — sleep inducing agent
  • Armenian: քնաբեր (kʻnaber) — sleep inducing agent
  • Bulgarian: приспива́телно (prispivátelno) — sleep inducing agent
  • Catalan: somnífer — sleep inducing agent
  • Catalan: hipnòtic — sleep inducing agent
  • Catalan: soforífic — sleep inducing agent
  • Catalan: narcòtic — sleep inducing agent
  • Chinese: 愛睏藥仔 /爱困药仔 (zh-min-nan) — sleep inducing agent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 催眠藥 /催眠药 (cuīmiányào) — sleep inducing agent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 安眠藥 /安眠药 (ānmiányào) — sleep inducing agent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 催眠劑 /催眠剂 (cuīmiánjì) — sleep inducing agent
  • Czech: uspávadlo — sleep inducing agent
  • Danish: sovemiddel — sleep inducing agent
  • Dutch: soporatief — sleep inducing agent
  • Dutch: slaapmiddel — sleep inducing agent
  • Esperanto: dormigilo — sleep inducing agent
  • Finnish: unilääke — sleep inducing agent
  • French: somnifère — sleep inducing agent
  • Georgian: საძილე საშუალება (saʒile sašualeba) — sleep inducing agent
  • Georgian: საძილე პრეპარატი (saʒile ṗreṗaraṭi) — sleep inducing agent
  • Georgian: საძილე ნივთიერება (saʒile nivtiereba) — sleep inducing agent
  • German: Schlafmittel — sleep inducing agent
  • Greek: υπνωτικό (ypnotikó) — sleep inducing agent
  • Greenlandic: sininnartoq — sleep inducing agent
  • Interlingua: soporifico — sleep inducing agent
  • Italian: sonnifero — sleep inducing agent
  • Korean: 수면제 (sumyeonje) — sleep inducing agent
  • Latin: sopor — sleep inducing agent
  • Māori: mea whakamoe — sleep inducing agent
  • Māori: rongoā whakamoe — sleep inducing agent
  • Polish: środek nasenny — sleep inducing agent
  • Portuguese: soporífero — sleep inducing agent
  • Portuguese: soporífico — sleep inducing agent
  • Russian: снотво́рное (snotvórnoje) — sleep inducing agent
  • Spanish: somnífero — sleep inducing agent
  • Spanish: soporífico — sleep inducing agent
  • Spanish: soporífero — sleep inducing agent
  • Spanish: soñoliento — sleep inducing agent
  • Swedish: sömnmedel — sleep inducing agent
  • Ukrainian: сноді́йне (snodíjne) — sleep inducing agent
  • Vietnamese: thuốc ngủ — sleep inducing agent