yawning

[ yaw-ning ]

adjective

1. being or standing wide open; gaping:

   the yawning mouth of a cave.

2. indicating by yawns one's weariness or indifference:

   The lecturer was oblivious to his yawning audience.

Other Words From

• yawning·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of yawning¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English geniendum. See yawn, -ing ²

Example Sentences

Just as months of relentless polling showed Harris in a virtual tie with Donald Trump, many of those same surveys told the story of a yawning gender gap.

From BBC

The gender gap in this race is yawning, and while the Trump campaign is hustling together phony “all-women town halls” in which he plays hot-or-not with Republican women senators, Harris is more seriously trying to trim her losses among men.

From Slate

“We can call it a day if you like,” I said, yawning.

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m tired from the buildup,” Brady said while yawning on his “Last Week with Tom” YouTube series after his debut calling the Dallas Cowboys’ game at the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 8.

From Los Angeles Times

Today’s teens face a yawning chasm of potentiality.

From Slate

Related Words

• broad
• buried
• deep-seated
• far
• profound
• rooted
• wide