sleepless

sleepless — adjective

1. A sleepless period of time is one in which you get no sleep at all, usually beca

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

A sleepless period of time is one in which you get no sleep at all, usually because of worry, excitement, or difficult conditions.

Example

After the earthquake, the whole city had a sleepless night waiting for news.

collocation: sleepless night

The nurse worked through a sleepless shift in the emergency room.

collocation: sleepless shift

Common collocations
  • sleepless night
  • sleepless hours
  • sleepless days
  • sleepless period
Synonyms
  • wakeful

    more formal; describes a person who is fully alert and cannot sleep

  • restless

    broader — describes physical inability to stay still, not necessarily sleep-related

Antonyms
  • restful

    describes a period that provides rest and relaxation

  • peaceful

    describes a calm, undisturbed night

Grammar Patterns

sleepless + night / hours / days

Usage Note

Attributive use only — placed before nouns like 'night', 'hours', or 'days' that describe a period when sleep would normally occur.

Common Mistakes

I had a sleepless day at the office.
I had a sleepless night before the big meeting.
Use sleepless for periods when sleep normally happens, not for daytime activities.
The baby had a sleepless afternoon.
The baby had a restless afternoon.
For daytime naps, use 'restless' instead.

2. If you are sleepless, you cannot fall asleep or stay asleep, often because your

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

If you are sleepless, you cannot fall asleep or stay asleep, often because your mind is active or you are uncomfortable.

Example

Yuki lay sleepless in bed, thinking about the job offer.

pattern: lie + sleepless

Femi felt hot and sleepless on the humid summer night.

pattern: feel + sleepless

Common collocations
  • lie sleepless
  • remain sleepless
  • feel sleepless
  • sleepless with worry
Synonyms
  • insomniac

    formal; describes a person with chronic sleep difficulty

  • restless

    broader — involves tossing and turning, may include being sleepless

  • wide awake

    informal; fully alert, not necessarily trying to sleep

Antonyms
  • sleepy

    feeling the need to sleep

  • drowsy

    feeling heavy and ready to fall asleep

Grammar Patterns

be + sleepless

lie / remain / feel + sleepless

Usage Note

Describes a temporary state. For a chronic inability to sleep, use 'have insomnia' or 'be an insomniac'. Commonly follows linking verbs such as 'lie', 'remain', or 'feel'.

Common Mistakes

I have been sleepless for two years.
I have had insomnia for two years.
Sleepless suggests a short-term state, not a long-term condition.
She felt sleepless during the movie.
She felt sleepy during the movie.
Sleepless is about inability to sleep at night, not about being awake during the day.

3. Describes something that is continuously active, never rests, or keeps watch wit

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

Describes something that is continuously active, never rests, or keeps watch without stopping — often used in literary or dramatic contexts.

Example

The sleepless city never seemed to quiet down after midnight.

collocation: sleepless city

Baraka's sleepless energy pushed the team to finish the project early.

Common collocations
  • sleepless city
  • sleepless energy
  • sleepless watch
  • sleepless force
Synonyms
  • restless

    common; suggests inability to stay still

  • unceasing

    formal; describes something that never stops

  • unremitting

    very formal; describes effort or activity that never relaxes

Antonyms
  • still

    not moving; calm and quiet

  • dormant

    temporarily inactive, as if asleep

Grammar Patterns

sleepless + noun (abstract / place)

Usage Note

Literary or figurative use. Typically modifies abstract nouns (energy, watch, force) or places (city, street). Avoid using with manufactured objects — 'a sleepless machine' sounds unnatural.

Common Mistakes

The factory machines ran a sleepless operation.
The factory machines ran non-stop.
The figurative sense is reserved for places, forces, and natural phenomena, not industrial equipment.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Sleepless, restless, and wakeful all relate to not sleeping, but they differ in how they describe the experience. Sleepless focuses on the absence of sleep itself — you simply do not sleep, whether you are lying still or tossing about. Restless adds physical movement: you shift, turn, or move because you cannot get comfortable. A person can be sleepless without being restless (lying quietly with eyes open) and restless without being sleepless (moving during sleep). Wakeful is more formal and describes a state of full alertness regardless of movement — you are wide awake even if you wish you were not. In everyday English, sleepless is the most common word for describing a bad night: 'Felix had a sleepless night before his driving test.' Restless fits better for a child who cannot sit still: 'Ziad grew restless during the long flight.' Wakeful is more literary: 'The old man lay wakeful, listening to the rain.'

sleepless ↗restless ↗wakeful

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • completely sleepless
  • almost sleepless

Phrases

  • a sleepless night
  • sleepless with worry
  • lie sleepless

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Sleepless comes from Old English 'slǣplēas' — a combination of 'slǣp' (sleep) and '-lēas' (without, -less). The word has been used since before the 12th century to describe both nights without rest and people who cannot sleep. The figurative meaning — describing something continuously active — appeared later, around the 16th century.