Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Drowsy; sleepy.
  • adjective Inducing or tending to induce sleep; soporific.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Sleepy; drowsy; inclined to sleep; sluggish.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Sleepy; drowsy; inclined to sleep.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Drowsy or sleepy.
  • adjective dated Causing literal or figurative sleepiness; soporific.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective inclined to or marked by drowsiness

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English sompnolent, from Old French, from Latin somnolentus : somnus, sleep; see swep- in Indo-European roots + -olentus, abounding in.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

First attested in 1615. From French somnolent, from Old French sompolent, subsequently from Latin somnolentus, Latin somnus ("sleep"), Proto-Indo-European *swépnos, *súpnos (“dream”), which both are derived from Proto-Indo-European *swep-.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word somnolent.

Examples

  • Especially did he love to lie on his back and have his sleek, cream-coloured throat stroked gently while he purred in somnolent satisfaction.

    Rilla of Ingleside Lucy Maud 1921

  • Also, the patient was getting a little somnolent, which is never a good sign when you are worried about hypoxemia / hypercarbia, so I figured it would be best if a nurse accompanied her.

    code blog - tales of a nurse 2008

  • Now I have to look up "somnolent" in the dictionary.

    Petzal's Picks For New Hunting Fashions 2009

  • Now I have to look up "somnolent" in the dictionary.

    Petzal's Picks For New Hunting Fashions 2009

  •  It means tired and lazy-sort of like "somnolent".

    He's Sarcastic 2010

  • S----, a comfortable place very slightly disturbed by the fact that it had been already the scene of four battles; there was just this effect, as it seemed to me, that the affairs of the day were carried on with a kind of somnolent indifference ....

    The Dark Forest Hugh Walpole 1912

  • It did not come; but I fell into a kind of somnolent state, in which I suddenly felt as though I were sinking in swiftly flowing water.

    My Life — Volume 2 Richard Wagner 1848

  • In contrast to Meg Whitman, whose Friday night speech to delegates may be found in the dictionary under "somnolent," Fiorina's talk was energetic, punchy and well-crafted.

    FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog Flap 2010

  • It isn't the weight of history I feel when I look at his ­paintings: it's a kind of somnolent,

    The Guardian World News 2009

  • Or maybe the burlesquing hepcat Spaniards will roll one by the somnolent Coasters. shedders on 9 May 2010

    Pop World Cup 2010: Round of 16 Match 8 – Spain 1 Cote d’Ivoire 0 | FreakyTrigger 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.