night-dress

A little girl puts on her night-dress before bed.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A garment worn for sleeping: "night-dress" refers to a loose, comfortable piece of clothing, typically worn by women or children, designed specifically for sleeping. It is often made of soft fabrics like cotton or silk and may be sleeveless or have short sleeves.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • She changed into her night-dress before going to bed. (She put on her sleeping garment.)
  • The child's night-dress was decorated with small stars and moons. (The sleeping garment had a playful pattern.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be in one's night-dress": to be wearing only a night-dress, typically implying being in a state of undress or ready for bed.
  • He answered the door in his night-dress, looking surprised. (He was wearing only his sleeping garment, which was informal.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nightgown (n): a synonym for night-dress, often used interchangeably, especially for women's or children's sleeping garments.
  • She wore a long, flowing nightgown to bed. (A similar sleeping garment.)
• Nightshirt (n): a long, loose shirt worn for sleeping, typically by men.
  • He prefers a nightshirt to a night-dress. (A different style of sleeping garment.)
• Night-robe (n): an alternative spelling or synonym for night-dress, particularly in older usage.
  • The hotel provided a soft night-robe for guests. (A sleeping garment.)

Synonyms

• Sleepwear: a general term for clothing worn while sleeping.
• Pajamas: a two-piece sleeping outfit (top and pants), often used as a synonym but distinct from a one-piece night-dress.

Related Idioms