asleep

A2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /əˈsliːp/ See IPA manual

Freq #1340

Meanings

1

adj
Sleeping.

I was asleep when you called.
2

adj
Having a numb, prickling feeling, said of a part of the body.

I sat too long and my foot fell asleep.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · having a numb, prickling... numb

More cold comatose dormantnangrysleepboundsleepingsomnambularunawakeningunawakingunwaking

Opposites

awake

Word family

Derived forms half-asleepunasleep

Related forms sleepy

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

fast asleep
in a deep state of sleep

Adverb + adjective

Etymology

From Middle English aslepe, equivalent to a- (“in, on”) + sleep.

aslepe Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# asleep

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /əˈsliːp/
**Frequency rank:** 1340

## Meanings
1. Sleeping.
2. Having a numb, prickling feeling, said of a part of the body.

## Examples
- I was asleep when you called.
- I sat too long and my foot fell asleep.

## Synonyms
- cold
- comatose
- dormant
- nangry
- sleepbound
- sleeping
- somnambular
- unawakening
- unawaking
- unwaking

## Antonyms
- awake

## Derived Forms
- half-asleep
- unasleep

## Related Forms
- sleepy

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: aslepe

## Etymology
From Middle English aslepe, equivalent to a- (“in, on”) + sleep.

## AI Etymology
Asleep is from Middle English aslepe, equivalent to a- (“in, on”) plus sleep. The formation is semantically transparent: the parts remain visible, while the compound or affix fixes the grammatical role and narrows the modern meaning. In use as an adjective, asleep denotes sleeping and having a numb, prickling feeling, said of a part of the body. The same word family continues in derived forms such as half-asleep and unasleep and related entries such as sleepy.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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