🤪 Foolish or silly 😴 Sleepy or slow

dopey

3 4.0

Feeling sleepy, slow, and not very alert

adjective
/ˈdoʊpi/

Informal

: atontado

We look so dopey.
feel dopey
looking dopey
dopey grin

Examples

l was acting dopey, but it's because l'm nervous.

Hanky Panky (1982)
She appeared drowsy, dopey, or useless.

Fiction book (1993)
Say, look, I feel a little dopey right now, George, but... let me think about it.

Killer's Kiss (1955)
Eyes slightly glazed and a dopey expression on his face.

Fiction book (1999)
He forced himself to try to relax and was aware at once of the dopey smile he probably had on his face.

Fiction book (1994)
It won't make me dopey or anything, will it?

I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)
It'll make me dopey.

Soldier of Fortune (1955)
After staying up all night, I felt dopey and struggled to concentrate in class.
The medication made him feel dopey, causing him to nap more than usual during the day.
She woke up from her nap feeling dopey and foggy, needing coffee to perk up.

Synonyms

tired

vsdopey

∞ 1.0

Needing rest or sleep because you have little energy

often adds a sluggish, not-alert look from illness or substances as well

sleepy

vsdopey

142 1.0

Feeling very tired and wanting to close your eyes

often adds a sluggish or not alert quality beyond mere sleepiness

drowsy

vsdopey

22 2.7

Feeling sleepy and not fully awake, often because you are tired or bored

is more often caused by tiredness, illness, or substances rather than simple sleepiness

groggy

vsdopey

21 5.6

Feeling weak, unsteady, and confused after being very tired, ill, or hit on the head

is more about slow thinking or dullness rather than physical unsteadiness

foggy

vsdopey

18 3.4

Unable to think clearly or react quickly

is more about visible sleepiness and sluggish appearance rather than cognitive blur

lethargic

vsdopey

15 5.3

Being very tired and slow with little interest or energy

is more likely to show sleepy appearance or drugged dullness rather than mere low mood

fatigued

vsdopey

13 4.1

Feeling very tired and having no energy

can include sluggishness from drugs or sickness rather than only exhaustion

bleary-eyed

vsdopey

5 5.3

Having eyes that look tired from not enough sleep

is about overall sluggishness and not only visible eye tiredness

punchy

vsdopey

3 7.5

Dazed and confused after a blow or being very tired

is broader, including gentle sleepiness or sluggishness without trauma

somnolent

vsdopey

Formal

2 8.4

Feeling sleepy or making you want to sleep

is more informal and stresses dull alertness from many causes

overtired

vsdopey

2 3.4

Too sleepy to relax or fall asleep

is sometimes caused by substances or illness making someone sluggish and dull

spaced-out

vsdopey

Informal

1 8.7

Not fully paying attention and feeling confused or dreamy

leans more toward sluggish or sleepy behaviour than detached spacing out

dozy

vsdopey

1 4.3

Sleepy and likely to fall asleep

is broader, including sluggishness or dullness from substances or sickness

zonked

vsdopey

Informal

1 9.1

Very tired, asleep, or feeling the effect of alcohol

covers similar tiredness but can also be milder or sluggish rather than extreme

sleepy-eyed

vsdopey

1 4.0

Having eyes that look tired and like you want to close them

describes the whole sleepy, sluggish appearance rather than just the eyes

sleepyheaded

vsdopey

1 5.3

Very tired and unable to keep your eyes open

can also imply slowness or lack of alertness from other causes

snoozy

vsdopey

Informal

1 4.6

Feeling sleepy or making you want to sleep

is harsher, covering drug or illness induced sluggishness as well

logy

vsdopey

1 9.8

Feeling slow and tired after not sleeping, being sick, or taking medicine

includes a sleepy look as well as mental dullness from substances or illness

sluggy

vsdopey

1 7.8

Feeling slow and without energy

often includes a dazed or not-alert facial expression from substance effects

laggy

vsdopey

1 6.8

Feeling slow and without energy after being tired or ill

can also mean being dull or drug-affected rather than only jetlag or recovery

hebetudinous

vsdopey

Archaic

1 9.9

A person who is slow in thinking and low in energy

is more about physical sleepiness or appearing sluggish from external causes

slumbrous

vsdopey

Literature

9.9

A calm, quiet mood that makes you feel sleepy

is less about atmosphere and more about being dull or under influence

slumpy

vsdopey

7.4

Being tired and looking droopy or sad

adds slowness from tiredness or substances beyond a sad or low look

dubby

vsdopey

Informal

9.9

Feeling tired and slow because you have little energy

is stronger, often implying visible sleepiness or influence by substances

droppy

vsdopey

7.4

A person or animal with a face that looks sad and tired

is more centered on general sluggishness and not primarily on facial droop

Antonyms

awake

432 1.0

Not sleeping and able to think clearly

energetic

93 1.6

Full of energy and active

alert

82 2.8

Quick to notice and respond to what is happening

How Sleepy

sleepy

142 1.0

dopey

Informal

3 4.0

drowsy

22 2.7

tired

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

dopey positive

dopeyer comparative

dopeiest superlative

Morphology

dopey = dope (semi-transparent) = dope + y

The 'sleepy/drugged' sense is derivable if the learner knows 'dope' as a drug that can cause drowsiness, but it requires that particular sense of 'dope' rather than the 'stupid' sense.

Etymology

Dopey comes from the word dope ('drug'), because drugs often make people slow and sleepy. That's why dopey also means 'sleepy' or 'sluggish', as if someone can barely keep their eyes open.