Definition

1. Noun:
   • The title character in a story by Washington Irving: A fictional man who falls asleep in the Catskill Mountains and wakes up 20 years later to find the world greatly changed.
   • A person who sleeps a lot: A humorous or critical term for someone who sleeps for very long periods.
   • A person oblivious to social changes: Someone who is unaware of or has not adapted to significant changes in society, culture, or technology.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • In Washington Irving's tale, Rip Van Winkle awakens to a world he no longer understands.
  • Don't be such a Rip Van Winkle; you've been asleep for twelve hours!
  • My grandfather is a bit of a Rip Van Winkle when it comes to smartphones; he still uses a flip phone.

Advanced Usage

• Used as a cultural reference: The name is used to symbolize a person who is dramatically out of touch with the present due to a period of isolation or inattention.
  • After his decade abroad, he felt like a modern Rip Van Winkle returning to his hometown.

Variants and Related Words

• Rip Van Winkle-ish (adjective, informal): Having the qualities of Rip Van Winkle; being out of date or prone to long sleep.
  • His Rip Van Winkle-ish knowledge of pop culture is charming.

Synonyms

• Sleeper: A person who sleeps.
• Fogy/Fogey: A person with old-fashioned ideas.
• Anachronism: A person or thing that is chronologically out of place.

Related Idioms

• To pull a Rip Van Winkle: To sleep for an exceptionally long time or to be completely unaware of recent events.
  • I pulled a Rip Van Winkle this weekend and slept until noon both days.

Noun

1. the title character in a story by Washington Irving about a man who sleeps for 20 years and doesn't recognize the world when he wakens
2. a person who sleeps a lot
3. a person oblivious to social changes