somniloquence
Definition
somniloquence (noun) - The act or habit of talking in one's sleep; a parasomnia involving involuntary speech during sleep without conscious awareness.
Usage Examples
- (The habit of talking in sleep.)
- (The condition of sleep-talking.)
Advanced Usage
"to exhibit somniloquence": to display the behavior of sleep-talking.
- The patient began to exhibit somniloquence after a period of intense stress. (Showed signs of talking in sleep.)
"somniloquence as a symptom": sleep-talking considered as a sign of an underlying condition.
- In some cases, somniloquence can be a symptom of sleep apnea or fever. (Sleep-talking as a diagnostic indicator.)
Variants and Related Words
Somniloquy (noun): an alternative term for somniloquence, meaning the same thing.
- His somniloquy was often incoherent and difficult to understand. (Sleep-talking.)
Somniloquist (noun): a person who talks in their sleep.
- As a lifelong somniloquist, he never remembered his nocturnal utterances. (A sleep-talker.)
Somniloquous (adj): relating to or characterized by sleep-talking.
- The somniloquous behavior subsided after she started a regular sleep schedule. (Pertaining to talking in sleep.)
Synonyms
Sleep-talking: the common term for somniloquence.
- Many children experience occasional sleep-talking. (The everyday phrase for the condition.)
Nocturnal speech: formal description of speech occurring during sleep.
- Nocturnal speech is often brief and mumbled. (Scientific synonym.)
Related Idioms
- Talk in one's sleep: the idiomatic equivalent of somniloquence.
- He often talks in his sleep, but never reveals any secrets. (The common expression for the phenomenon.)