Meanings
comparative drowsier · superlative drowsiest
- Inclined to drowse; heavy with sleepiness
I was feeling drowsy and so decided to make a cup of coffee to try to wake myself up.
Synonyms: lethargic, dozy, adrowse, bedroomy, dozy, dopey, dragging one's tail, eyelids at half-mast
- Causing someone to fall sleep or feel sleepy; lulling; soporific.
drowsy medicine
1 more example
It was a warm, drowsy summer afternoon.
Synonyms: hypnotic, somnolent, dormitive, hypnic, hypnotic, slumberous, somniferous, somnific
- Boring.
The narrative throughout holds the reader; it Is not a drowsy book.
1928, Historical OutlookSynonyms: monotonous, tedious, banal, basic, mindless, beat, blah, commonplace
- Dull; stupid.
... the hoofbeats of the mule made a sound as drowsy as a fly's buzz on a summer afternoon.
1948, Truman Capote, Other Voices, Other Rooms, Part One, 1Synonyms: dozy, vacant, addlebrained, addlepated, airheaded, bee-brained, beef-witted, soft
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveInclined to drowse; heavy with sleepiness
adjectiveCausing someone to fall sleep or feel sleepy; lulling; soporific.
adjectiveBoring.
adjectiveDull; stupid.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveshowing lack of attention or boredom
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Englishdrūsian“to droop, drowse, become languid”
- Englishdrowsy
From drowse + -y, despite the fact that drowsy (1520) is recorded before drowse (1570). Compare Old English drūsian (“to droop, drowse, become languid”).
More words from Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic نَعْسَان
- نَعْسَان (naʕsān)inclined to drowse
Bulgarian сънлив, приспивателен
- сънлив (sănliv)inclined to drowse
- приспивателен (prispivatelen)disposing to sleep
Catalan somnolent
- somnolentinclined to drowse
Chinese Mandarin 想睡, 昏昏欲睡
- 想睡 (xiǎng shuì)inclined to drowse
- 昏昏欲睡 (hūnhūnyùshuì)inclined to drowse
- 睏 /困 (kùn)inclined to drowse
Czech ospalý, uspávající
- ospalýinclined to drowse
- uspávajícídisposing to sleep
Dutch slaperig
- slaperiginclined to drowse
Esperanto dormema
- dormemainclined to drowse
Finnish unelias, unettava
- uneliasinclined to drowse
- unettavadisposing to sleep
- nukuttavadisposing to sleep
French ensommeillé, somnolent
- ensommeilléinclined to drowse
- somnolentinclined to drowse
- stupidedull, stupid
- soporifiquedisposing to sleep
German schläfrig, müde
- schläfriginclined to drowse
- müdeboring
- langweiligboring
- verschlafenboring
- dösigdull, stupid
- einschläfernddisposing to sleep
Greek νυσταγμένος
- νυσταγμένος (nystagménos)inclined to drowse
Hindi निंदासा
- निंदासा (nindāsā)inclined to drowse
Irish codlatach, suanmhar
- codlatachinclined to drowse
- suanmharinclined to drowse
- néalmharinclined to drowse
- sámhinclined to drowse
Italian insonnolito, assonnato
- insonnolitoinclined to drowse
- assonnatoinclined to drowse
- soporiferodisposing to sleep
Japanese 眠い, 眠たい
- 眠い (nemui)inclined to drowse
- 眠たい (nemutai)inclined to drowse
Latin sopōrus, somnolentus
- sopōrusinclined to drowse
- somnolentusinclined to drowse
- somniculōsusinclined to drowse
Latvian miegains
- miegainsinclined to drowse
Lithuanian mieguistas
- mieguistasinclined to drowse
Māori pōuruuru, hāmoemoe
- pōuruuruinclined to drowse
- hāmoemoeinclined to drowse
- hiamoeinclined to drowse
- hinamoeinclined to drowse
- harotuinclined to drowse
- harotudisposing to sleep
- pōuruurudisposing to sleep
Persian خواب و بیدار، نیمه خواب
- خواب و بیدار، نیمه خوابinclined to drowse
Polish senny, ospały
- sennyinclined to drowse
- ospałyinclined to drowse
Portuguese sonolento, modorrento
- sonolentoinclined to drowse
- modorrentoinclined to drowse
- modorrentoboring
- modorrentodull, stupid
Russian со́нный, сонли́вый
- со́нный (sónnyj)inclined to drowse
- сонли́вый (sonlívyj)inclined to drowse
- за́спанный (záspannyj)inclined to drowse
- ну́дный (núdnyj)boring
- ну́дный (núdnyj)dull, stupid
- усыпля́ющий (usypljájuščij)disposing to sleep
- снотво́рный (snotvórnyj)disposing to sleep
Scottish Gaelic suaineach, suaineach
- suaineachinclined to drowse
- suaineachdisposing to sleep
Spanish adormecido, soñoliento
- adormecidoinclined to drowse
- soñolientoinclined to drowse
- somnolientoinclined to drowse
- dormijoso (desus.)inclined to drowse
- adormiladoinclined to drowse
- adormitadoinclined to drowse
- aletargadoinclined to drowse
- amodorradoinclined to drowse
- amodorridoinclined to drowse
- somníferodisposing to sleep
- soñolientodisposing to sleep
- soporíferodisposing to sleep
Swedish dåsig
- dåsiginclined to drowse
Welsh cysglyd
- cysglydinclined to drowse
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with drowsy
All rhymes →Cite this entry
drowsy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drowsy
“drowsy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drowsy. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “drowsy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drowsy.
Source: drowsy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.