Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Dull with sleepiness; sluggish.
  • adjective Produced or characterized by sleepiness.
  • adjective Inducing sleepiness; soporific.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Inclined to sleep; sleepy; heavy with sleepiness.
  • Resulting from or affected by drowsiness; characteristic of or marked by a state of drows-ing.
  • Disposing to sleep; lulling; soporific: as, a drowsy couch.
  • Dull; sluggish; stupid.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Inclined to drowse; heavy with sleepiness; lethargic; dozy.
  • adjective Disposing to sleep; lulling; soporific.
  • adjective Dull; stupid.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Inclined to drowse; heavy with sleepiness; lethargic; dozy.
  • adjective Disposing to sleep; lulling; soporific.
  • adjective Dull; stupid.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective half asleep
  • adjective showing lack of attention or boredom

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Probably from or akin to Old English drūsian.

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Examples

  • Czeisler thinks frequent problems with what he calls "drowsy driving" help explain why accidents have overtaken criminal assaults as the top cause of death among police officers.

    News 2011

  • Czeisler thinks frequent problems with what he calls "drowsy driving" help explain why car accidents have overtaken criminal assaults as the top cause of death among police officers.

    News 2011

  • Czeisler thinks frequent problems with what he calls "drowsy driving" help explain why car accidents have overtaken criminal assaults as the top cause of death among police officers.

    News 2011

  • Czeisler thinks frequent problems with what he calls "drowsy driving" help explain why car accidents have overtaken criminal assaults as the top cause of death among police officers.

    News 2011

  • Then she lost herself in drowsy contemplation of the soothing balm of his strength: Life poured from the ends of his fingers, driving the pain before it, or so it seemed to her, until with the easement of pain, she fell asleep and he stole away.

    Chapter 20 2010

  • Your child may still be drowsy from the anesthesia, but as this begins to wear off, there might be some discomfort from the incisions.

    Minimally Invasive Surgery for Urologic Conditions in Children 2010

  • Then she lost herself in drowsy contemplation of the soothing balm of his strength: Life poured from the ends of his fingers, driving the pain before it, or so it seemed to her, until with the easement of pain, she fell asleep and he stole away.

    Chapter 20 1908

  • You well know from observation what work the English do, and what their women; this you must imitate, and not sleep half your time and pass the rest in drowsy inactivity; these things you must do, and you will soon reap the fruits of your labour.

    The Autobiography of Liuetenant-General Sir Harry Smith, Baronet of Aliwal on the Sutlej, G. C. B. 1903

  • All being so nearly ready, I called the drowsy boy again, and, showing him a very large stick in the wood-box, asked him to bring me a hatchet.

    The Brick Moon, and Other Stories 1899

  • The moon would be full tonight – a perfect time to perform the Grace of the Foolish, under the harvest moon on a warm summer’s night, when all the land lay in drowsy happiness.

    The Grace of the Foolish « A Fly in Amber 2009

Comments

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  • Do good? I? No! Evil anon I deliver. I maim nine more hero-men in Saginaw, sanitary sword a-tuck, Carol, I — lo! — rack, cut a drowsy rat in Aswan. I gas nine more hero-men in Miami. Reviled, I (Nona) live on. I do, O God!

    October 18, 2008