sleepless
gb/slˈipləs/ us/slˈipləs/
B1
English
~ 9600
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B1
state
1
not sleeping; without sleep
Not sleeping, or having a time with no sleep.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is sleepless / a sleepless [night/period]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "sleepless" with "sleepy." "Sleepless" means you cannot sleep or did not sleep; "sleepy" means you feel like you want to sleep. For example, "I am sleepless" suggests you are unable to sleep, while "I am sleepy" means you are tired and want to go to bed.
Synonyms
awake (Focuses on the state of not being asleep, without implying tiredness or being unable to sleep.)
|
insomniac (Stronger and more medical-sounding; often describes someone who regularly cannot sleep, not just one night.)
|
restless (Suggests inability to relax or be still, which often causes sleeplessness but can also apply when someone is awake in general.)
Antonyms
asleep (Direct opposite in terms of physical state; someone who is asleep is not sleepless.)
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rested (Describes having had enough sleep, the usual result of not being sleepless.)
Collocations
sleepless night
|sleepless nights
|lie sleepless
|keep [someone] sleepless
|go sleepless
|leave [someone] sleepless
Themes
daily life
|health
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- After a sleepless night, she struggled to concentrate at work.
- He lay sleepless in bed, worrying about the interview.
- New parents often endure many sleepless nights with their baby.
- The storm kept the whole town sleepless until morning.
- His mind was so busy that he remained sleepless for hours.
Learner examples
- I had a sleepless night before the exam.
- She was sleepless because the room was too noisy.
- The baby cried all night and we were sleepless.
- He lay in bed, sleepless and worried.
- Many students are sleepless during exam week.
Grammar
Dictionary form
sleepless
IPA
GB/slˈipləs/
US/slˈipləs/
Syllables & stress
sleep - less (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (sleep)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: sleepless
Word family
Expressions
sleepless night
1/slˈipləs nˈaɪt/
fixed phrase
a night with no sleep
A night when a person cannot sleep or sleeps only a very short time.
Examples
- After a sleepless night, he needed a lot of coffee to get through the day.
- She spent another sleepless night worrying about her sick mother.