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Definition of drowsiness
drowsiness
/ˈdraʊzinəs/
drow · si · ness
Adverb:drowsily
•Adjective:drowsy
drowsiness Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
6
Tier
2
Usage
Top 10k
Syllables
3
drowsiness Game Scores & Validity
Scrabble US
Scrabble UK
WWF
Wordle Guess
• noun
1
A state of feeling abnormally sleepy, tired, and sluggish, or on the verge of falling asleep.
Example
"The allergy medication carries a warning label because it can cause severe drowsiness when operating heavy machinery."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for drowsiness Antonyms
View all antonyms for drowsiness• Rhymes for drowsiness
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the early 16th century from the adjective 'drowsy' plus the suffix '-ness', ultimately tracing back to the Old English verb 'drusian', meaning to become sluggish, languid, or slow.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Drowsiness. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/drowsiness