drowsy

English

Etymology

From drowse +‎ -y, despite the fact that drowsy (1520) is recorded before drowse (1570). Compare Old English drūsian (“to droop, drowse, become languid”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɹaʊzi/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊzi

Adjective

drowsy (comparative drowsier, superlative drowsiest)

1. 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

2. Causing someone to fall sleep or feel sleepy; lulling; soporific.

   It was a warm, drowsy summer afternoon.

   drowsy medicine

3. Boring.
   • 1928, Historical Outlook:

     The narrative throughout holds the reader; it Is not a drowsy book.

4. Dull; stupid. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Derived terms

• drowsily (“non-drowsy”)

Translations

inclined to drowse

• Albanian: përgjumur (sq)
• Arabic: نَعْسَان (naʕsān)
• Bulgarian: сънлив (bg) (sǎnliv)
• Catalan: somnolent
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 想睡 (xiǎng shuì), 昏昏欲睡 (zh) (hūnhūnyùshuì), 睏／困 (zh) (kùn)

• Czech: ospalý (cs)
• Dutch: slaperig (nl)
• Esperanto: dormema
• Finnish: unelias
• French: ensommeillé (fr), somnolent (fr)
• Galician: durmiñento
• German: schläfrig (de)
• Greek: νυσταγμένος (el) (nystagménos)
• Irish: codlatach, suanmhar, néalmhar, sámh
• Italian: insonnolito (it), assonnato (it)
• Japanese: 眠い (ja) (ねむい, nemui), 眠たい (ja) (ねむたい, nemutai)
• Latin: sopōrus, somnolentus, somniculōsus
• Latvian: miegains
• Lithuanian: mieguistas
• Macedonian: со́нлив (sónliv)
• Maori: pōuruuru, hāmoemoe, hiamoe, hinamoe, harotu
• Ottoman Turkish: مخمور (mahmur)
• Persian: خواب و بیدار، نیمه خواب
• Polish: senny (pl), ospały (pl)
• Portuguese: sonolento (pt), modorrento (pt)
• Russian: со́нный (ru) (sónnyj), сонли́вый (ru) (sonlívyj), за́спанный (ru) (záspannyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: suaineach
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: по̏спа̄н, са̀њив, дрѐмљив

  Roman: pȍspān (sh), sànjiv (sh), drèmljiv (sh)

• Spanish: adormecido (es), soñoliento (es), somnífero (es), soporífero (es), somnoliento (es)
• Swedish: dåsig (sv)
• Welsh: cysglyd (cy)

disposing to sleep

• Bulgarian: приспивателен (bg) (prispivatelen)
• Czech: uspávající
• Finnish: unettava, nukuttava (fi)
• French: soporifique (fr)
• German: einschläfernd (de)
• Italian: soporifero (it)
• Macedonian: дре́млив (drémliv)
• Maori: harotu, pōuruuru
• Russian: усыпля́ющий (ru) (usypljájuščij), снотво́рный (ru) (snotvórnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: suaineach
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: по̏спа̄н, дрѐмљив

  Roman: pȍspān (sh), drèmljiv (sh)

boring

• German: müde (de), langweilig (de), verschlafen (de) (village, town)
• Portuguese: modorrento (pt)
• Russian: ну́дный (ru) (núdnyj)

dull, stupid

• French: stupide (fr)
• German: dösig
• Portuguese: modorrento (pt)
• Russian: ну́дный (ru) (núdnyj)

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

• Irish: ^{(please verify)} ceanntrom, ^{(please verify)} múisiamach