sleepless

[ sleep-lis ]

adjective

1. without sleep:

   a sleepless night.

2. watchful; alert:

   sleepless devotion to duty.

3. always active:

   the sleepless ocean.

sleepless

/ ˈsliːplɪs /

adjective

1. without sleep or rest

   a sleepless journey

2. unable to sleep
3. always watchful or alert
4. poetic.
   always active or moving

   the sleepless tides

Derived Forms

• ˈsleeplessly, adverb
• ˈsleeplessness, noun

Other Words From

• sleepless·ly adverb
• sleepless·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sleepless¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; sleep, -less

Example Sentences

With nowhere else to go, Hassan took his family to the seaside, where they spent a sleepless night squeezed together in the car.

From BBC

Lynda Obst, the longtime producer whose credits included ‘Flashdance,’ ‘Interstellar’ and ‘Sleepless in Seattle,’ died Tuesday at 74, The Times has confirmed.

From Los Angeles Times

“When we watch ‘When Harry Met Sally’ or ‘You’ve Got Mail,’ it distills this sweeping sentiment of being in New York City in the fall and this magical feeling that comes once a year, like Christmas,” “Nora Ephron at the Movies” author Ilana Kaplan says, invoking two signature films that she groups with “Sleepless in Seattle.”

From Los Angeles Times

Manhattan’s Empire State Building notably plays a key role in “Sleepless in Seattle,” an Ephron homage to “An Affair to Remember”; like “When Harry Met Sally” and “You’ve Got Mail,” it stars Meg Ryan.

From Los Angeles Times

Ephron received three Oscar nominations for her screenplays, the first for “Silkwood,” followed by recognition for “When Harry Met Sally” and “Sleepless in Seattle.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fidgety