different between somnolent vs sluggish

English

Etymology

First attested in 1615. Borrowed from French somnolent, from Old French sompnolent, subsequently from Latin somnolentus, from somnus (“sleep”), from Proto-Indo-European *swépnos, *supnós (“dream”), which both are derived from *swep-.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s?mn?l?nt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?s??mn?l?nt/

Adjective

somnolent (comparative more somnolent, superlative most somnolent)

1. Drowsy or sleepy.
2. (dated) Causing literal or figurative sleepiness.

   Synonyms: soporific; see also Thesaurus:soporific

Translations

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin somnolentus.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /som.no?lent/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /sum.nu?len/

Adjective

somnolent (feminine somnolenta, masculine plural somnolents, feminine plural somnolentes)

1. sleepy, drowsy

Related terms

• somni
• somnolència
• son

Further reading

• “somnolent” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

French

Etymology

From Old French sompnolent, borrowed from Latin somnolentus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s?m.n?.l??/

Adjective

somnolent (feminine singular somnolente, masculine plural somnolents, feminine plural somnolentes)

1. drowsy (inclined to drowse)

Verb

somnolent

1. third-person plural present indicative of somnoler
2. third-person plural present subjunctive of somnoler

Further reading

• “somnolent” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Romanian

Etymology

From French somnolent, from Latin somnolentus.

Adjective

somnolent m or n (feminine singular somnolent?, masculine plural somnolen?i, feminine and neuter plural somnolente)

1. sleepy

Declension

English

Etymology

slug +? -ish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?sl????/

Adjective

sluggish (comparative sluggisher or more sluggish, superlative sluggishest or most sluggish)

1. Habitually idle and lazy; slothful; dull; inactive

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:lazy

   • c. 1874, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ovid in Exile

     And the sluggish land slumbers in utter neglect.
2. Slow; having little motion.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:slow

   Antonym: nimble

   • 1913, Paul Laurence Dunbar, At Sunset Time

     We float upon a sluggish stream,

     We ride no rapids mad,

     While life is all a tempered dream

     And every joy half sad.

3. Having no power to move oneself or itself; inert.
   • 1695, John Woodward, An Essay toward a Natural History of the Earth and Terrestrial Bodies

     Matter, being impotent, sluggish, and inactive, hath no power to stir or move itself.

4. Characteristic of a sluggard; dull; stupid; tame; simple.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:stupid

5. Exhibiting economic decline, inactivity, slow or subnormal growth.

Derived terms

Translations