Meanings
nounsomnophilia (uncountable)
- uncountableA paraphilia in which an individual becomes sexually aroused by someone who is unconscious.
In contrast, Calef and Weinshel (1972) suggested that somnophilia may be a neurotic equivalent of necrophilia.
2008, D. Richard Laws, William T. O'Donohue, Sexual deviance: theory, assessment, and treatment, page 401
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny sex act during which one of the partners is asleep or close to falling asleep.
Similar
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*swep-
- Proto-Indo-European*swépnos
- Proto-Italic*swepnos
- Latinsomnus
- Englishsomn-
- Englishsomno-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰil-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰil-o-s
- Ancient Greekφῐ́λος (phĭ́los)
- Ancient Greekφῐλῐ́ᾱ (phĭlĭ́ā)
- Englishsomnophilia
Translations
Catalan somnofília
- somnofíliasexual attraction to unconscious people
French somnophilie
- somnophiliesexual attraction to unconscious people
German Somnophilie
- Somnophiliesexual attraction to unconscious people
Italian somnofilia
- somnofiliasexual attraction to unconscious people
Portuguese somnofilia
- somnofiliasexual attraction to unconscious people
Russian сомнофилия
- сомнофилия (somnofilija)sexual attraction to unconscious people
Spanish somnofilia
- somnofiliasexual attraction to unconscious people
Cite this entry
APA
somnophilia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/somnophilia
MLA
“somnophilia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/somnophilia. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “somnophilia,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/somnophilia.
Source: somnophilia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.