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sleepy

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English

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Etymology

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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

    From Middle English slepy, from Old English *slǣpiġ (attested in unslǣpiġ (“sleepless”)), from Proto-West Germanic *slāpag (“sleepy”), equivalent to sleep +‎ -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian släipich (“sleepy”), West Frisian sliepich (“sleepy”), dialectal Dutch slapig, slepig (“sleepy”), German Low German slapig, släpig, slöpig (“sleepy”), archaic German schlafig (“sleepy”).

    Pronunciation

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    • Audio (US):(file)
    • IPA(key): /ˈsliːpi/
    • Rhymes: -iːpi

    Adjective

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    sleepy (comparative sleepier, superlative sleepiest)

    1. Tired; feeling the need for sleep.
      Synonyms: tired; see also Thesaurus:sleepy
    2. Suggesting tiredness.
      Synonyms: jaded, weary; see also Thesaurus:fatigued
      • 1994, Stephen Fry, chapter 2, in The Hippopotamus:
        At the very moment he cried out, David realised that what he had run into was only the Christmas tree. Disgusted with himself at such cowardice, he spat a needle from his mouth, stepped back from the tree and listened. There were no sounds of any movement upstairs: no shouts, no sleepy grumbles, only a gentle tinkle from the decorations as the tree had recovered from the collision.
    3. Tending to induce sleep.
      Synonyms: hypnotic, soporific; see also Thesaurus:soporific
      a sleepy drink or potion
      • 1611, Iohn Speed [i.e., John Speed], “Edward the Second, […]”, in The History of Great Britaine under the Conquests of yͤ Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans. […], London: […] William Hall and John Beale, for John Sudbury and George Humble, […], →OCLC, book IX ([Englands Monarchs] […]), paragraph 49, page 561, column 1:
        [T]he yong L. Roger Mortimer, […] hauing corrupted his Keepers, or (as ſome others vvrite) hauing potioned them vvith a ſleepy drinke, eſcaped out of the Tovver of London, getting ouer clearely vvithout any empeachment into France.
    4. (figurative) Dull; lazy.
      Synonyms: heavy, sluggish
    5. (figurative) Quiet; without bustle or activity.
      a sleepy English village
      • 2021 August 30, “Armed robbers take hostages in deadly bank raids in Brazil city”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 3 November 2021:
        Experts believe a pandemic welfare programme for poorer Brazilians has encouraged robbers to plan bold raids in sleepy regional cities where bank branches are storing more cash.
      • 2022 September 23, Pjotr Sauer, Dan Sabbagh, “Border queues build as people flee Russia to escape Putin's call-up”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎[2], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 March 2023:
        Usually sleepy border crossings into Kazakhstan and Mongolia have also been overwhelmed by the sudden influx of Russians looking for a way out.
      • 2023 March 8, Paul Salveson, “Fond farewells to two final trains...”, in Rail, number 978, page 54:
        Despite Horwich's international fame as a centre of railway engineering, Horwich station itself was usually quite a sleepy place.
      • 2026 April 12, Betsy Joles, “No Deal: U.S.-Iran peace talks in Islamabad fall through”, in National Public Radio‎[3], Washington, D.C.: National Public Radio, archived from the original on 14 April 2026:
        The meeting has put Pakistan at the center of the biggest story in the world, spotlighting its normally sleepy capital that has been preparing for days for high-profile delegations to arrive.

    Alternative forms

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    Derived terms

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    Translations

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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Noun

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    sleepy (countable and uncountable, plural sleepies)

    1. (informal, uncountable or in the plural) The gum that builds up in the eye; sleep, gound.
      Synonym: (which see for more) sleep
      • 1964, Ken Kesey, Sometimes a Great Notion:
        "Did he always leave the sleepy in his eyes?" "Never removed it; let it build up in the comers of his eyes over the weeks until it was heavy enough to fall […]
      • 1991, Martin Amis, London Fields:
        But the nightdress was heavy, the sleepy in her eyes was heavy, her hair (she made a mustache of one of its locks) was heavy and smelled of cigarettes […]
    2. (Australia) Shingleback.

    Verb

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    sleepy

    1. (childish) To sleep.
      • 1994 November 4, Gabe Wiener, “Micing a solo piano (acoustic)”, in rec.audio.pro‎[4] (Usenet), archived from the original on 2 August 2026:
        Gabe stays up far too late and gets up far too early and spends far too many hours at the studio. Gabe is trying to get his records produced, and to get all his other work done before Gabe flies out to frisco for AES. Gabe go sleepy now.
      • 2000 August 20, j e s s aka robobitch, “i go sleepy bye”, in alt.fan.hanson‎[5] (Usenet), archived from the original on 2 August 2026:
        im going to sleep BEING UP 28 hours is not good for my health so. ill see you all tomorrow!
      • 2009 November 3, Elizabeth Bernstein, “When Four Play the Dating Game”, in The Wall Street Journal‎[6], New York, N.Y.: Dow Jones & Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 January 2015:
        Other couples will bicker, or flirt, or make out right in front of you. "When the night is about to draw to an end, I'm not really sure if I want to hear the one ask the other, 'Want to go sleepy in the beddie?'" says Jason Scarlatti, a 34-year-old creative director for a Manhattan underwear company.

    Anagrams

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