Definition

Noun 1. A person who is sleeping soundly: Refers to someone who is in a deep, peaceful sleep. 2. A potential takeover target that has not yet been put in play: In finance and business, a company that is attractive for acquisition but is not currently the subject of active takeover bids or discussions. 3. Fairy story: princess under an evil spell who could be awakened only by a prince's kiss: The title character from a classic European fairy tale, a princess cursed to sleep until awakened by true love's kiss.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Person sleeping):
  • Don't wake the sleeping beauty on the couch; she had a long night.
  • After the hike, he was a sleeping beauty for ten hours straight.
• Noun (Business term):
  • The tech startup, with its valuable patents, is considered a sleeping beauty by many investment firms.
  • Analysts identified the company as a sleeping beauty due to its strong assets and undervalued stock.
• Noun (Fairy tale character):
  • The story of Sleeping Beauty has been adapted into many films and ballets.
  • In the tale, the princess is known as Sleeping Beauty after she pricks her finger on a spindle.

Advanced Usage

• Metaphorical Use: The term can be used metaphorically to describe anything with great potential that is currently dormant or unrecognized.
  • That abandoned neighborhood is the city's sleeping beauty, waiting for the right developer to see its charm.

Variants and Related Words

• Sleeping (adjective/noun): The state of rest characterized by suspended consciousness.
• Beauty (noun): A combination of qualities that pleases the aesthetic senses.
• Sleeping Beauty Syndrome (noun, informal): A colloquial, non-medical term sometimes used to refer to Kleine-Levin Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive sleep.

Synonyms

• For a person sleeping soundly: sound sleeper, deep sleeper.
• For a takeover target: undiscovered gem, undervalued asset, potential acquisition target.
• For the fairy tale character: Briar Rose (her name in some versions of the story).

Related Idioms

• Awaken a sleeping beauty: To bring something dormant or overlooked to its full potential or into active notice.
  • The new CEO's strategy was to awaken the sleeping beauty that was the company's research division.

Noun

1. a potential takeover target that has not yet been put in play
2. a person who is sleeping soundly
3. fairy story: princess under an evil spell who could be awakened only by a prince's kiss