slumbery
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Inclined to drowsiness; sleepy: Describes a state or quality of being prone to sleep or showing signs of sleepiness.
- Marked by drowsiness; inducing sleep: Describes something that has a sleepy, somnolent, or sleep-inducing quality.
- Archaic: This form of the word is no longer in common modern use.
Usage and Examples
As an adjective describing a person or creature:
- The slumbery child could barely keep his eyes open during the story.
- After the long journey, she felt slumbery and retired early.
As an adjective describing an atmosphere or effect:
- The slumbery warmth of the afternoon made everyone lethargic.
- He spoke in a low, slumbery voice that was almost a whisper.
Advanced Usage Notes
- Archaic Status: The term is considered archaic. In contemporary English, synonyms like sleepy, drowsy, or somnolent are preferred.
- Descriptive Use: It is often used in literary or descriptive contexts to evoke a poetic or old-fashioned tone, particularly when describing eyes, sounds, or atmospheres that induce sleep.
Variants and Related Words
- Slumberous (or Slumbrous) (adjective): The more common modern variant meaning inclined to or marked by drowsiness; sleepy.
- The slumberous rhythm of the rain put him to sleep.
- Slumber (noun/verb): The state of sleep or the act of sleeping.
- She fell into a deep slumber.
Synonyms
- Sleepy
- Drowsy
- Somnolent
- Lethargic
- Groggy
Antonyms
- Alert
- Wakeful
- Energetic
- Vigilant
Related Phrases and Idioms
(While slumbery itself is not typically used in modern idioms, it relates to the concept of sleep.) - To be dead to the world: To be in a very deep sleep. - To feel/be half-asleep: To be in a drowsy, not fully alert state.
Adjective
- inclined to or marked by drowsiness
- slumberous (or slumbrous) eyes
- `slumbery' is archaic
- the sound had a somnolent effect