in·som·ni·ac
in-ˈsäm-nē-ˌak 
: of, relating to, characterized by, or affected with insomnia
insomniac nights
insomniac tendencies
… he lived for several months with an older brother who didn't enforce bedtime rules. Joe started exchanging text messages with an insomniac friend and played online games against opponents on the other side of the planet.—
John Cline
John ClineThe last thing my sisters and I would do on Christmas Eve—before retiring to our separate rooms and our private paroxysms of insomniac anticipation—was make sure our parents had put out cookies for Santa Claus.—Christopher Caldwell
Christopher Caldwell
plural insomniacs
: a person affected with insomnia
Many insomniacs develop anxiety about going to bed and they fear sleeplessness, which can worsen insomnia.—Andrew Weil
Andrew WeilSynonyms
Examples of insomniac in a Sentence
Adjective
an insomniac veteran tormented by his memories of the war
Recent Examples on the Web
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
Every night, inhabitants of the city that never sleeps are kept awake by everything from the sounds of slammed front doors reverberating down hallways to insomniac oboists who could use a few more lessons (ideally during the day).
—Natalie Wexler, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2024
The kids fill their insomniac parents with love and fear.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
For the insomniac bedmate who turns on the light to read and wakes you up
An eye mask can only do so much.
—Leslie Yazel, wsj.com, 14 Dec. 2023
These narratives are magnetic forces that pull the reader into their worlds, leaving them eager to discover what comes next, from a bricklayer hiding his love for wearing red lipstick to an insomniac journalist fighting street violence.
—Roxsy Lin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2023
Her concern for her single, insomniac brother is sincere, and at moments doesn’t quite skirt condescension.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2023
An insomniac detective investigates a man's mysterious death, and begins to fall in love with his wife while staking out her apartment.
—Jacob Linden, Redbook, 29 June 2023
Tall, healthy, and narrow-shouldered, the general looked like an insomniac bear driven out of his warm den by problems springing forth outside.
—Vladimir Sorokin, Harper's Magazine, 13 July 2022
Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 16 July 2024
Europe's most exquisite portrait of an insomniac, as dazzling after such a day in the sun as the moon itself.
—Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 May 2024
Trump Has Promised to Do in a Second Term
The misadventures that follow play like Inside Out for anxious insomniacs, as Orion rides shotgun while this gang of R.E.M.-cycle mavericks either lull folks into a restful state or aggressively knock them out .
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2024
With a library of thousands and movies and shows, even insomniacs won’t run out of things to watch.
—Bellamy Richardson, wsj.com, 6 Sep. 2023
Bears, instead, show little preference over morning or night, and dolphins are considered insomniacs who experience fragmented sleep.
—Sarah Wells, Popular Mechanics, 28 Aug. 2023
The show stars Antonia Thomas as Lisa and Craig Roberts as Danny, fellow insomniacs and friends who bond late at night.
—Mckinley Franklin, Variety, 9 Aug. 2023
There is, however, her insomniac’s attachment to a late-night radio show compassionately spotlighting anonymous confessions from the awake and troubled.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2023
Famous insomniacs: Franz Kafka, Arianna Huffington, Vincent Van Gogh, Bill Clinton, Marilyn Monroe, Abraham Lincoln, Madonna, Judy Garland, Groucho Marx, Margaret Thatcher and Tallulah Bankhead.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2023
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Adjective
The movie, based on Chuck Palahniuk’s subversive novel, starred Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter and followed an insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker who form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
Every night, inhabitants of the city that never sleeps are kept awake by everything from the sounds of slammed front doors reverberating down hallways to insomniac oboists who could use a few more lessons (ideally during the day).
—Natalie Wexler, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2024
The kids fill their insomniac parents with love and fear.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
For the insomniac bedmate who turns on the light to read and wakes you up
An eye mask can only do so much.
—Leslie Yazel, wsj.com, 14 Dec. 2023
These narratives are magnetic forces that pull the reader into their worlds, leaving them eager to discover what comes next, from a bricklayer hiding his love for wearing red lipstick to an insomniac journalist fighting street violence.
—Roxsy Lin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2023
Her concern for her single, insomniac brother is sincere, and at moments doesn’t quite skirt condescension.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2023
An insomniac detective investigates a man's mysterious death, and begins to fall in love with his wife while staking out her apartment.
—Jacob Linden, Redbook, 29 June 2023
Tall, healthy, and narrow-shouldered, the general looked like an insomniac bear driven out of his warm den by problems springing forth outside.
—Vladimir Sorokin, Harper's Magazine, 13 July 2022
Noun
Forty years ago, conspiracy theories used to be the stuff of overnight talk radio when hosts filled sleepless hours for insomniacs with hot topics like whether the moon landing was fake, which space aliens are hidden at Area 51 and whether Elvis was living on a remote island in the South Pacific.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 16 July 2024
Europe's most exquisite portrait of an insomniac, as dazzling after such a day in the sun as the moon itself.
—Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 May 2024
Trump Has Promised to Do in a Second Term
The misadventures that follow play like Inside Out for anxious insomniacs, as Orion rides shotgun while this gang of R.E.M.-cycle mavericks either lull folks into a restful state or aggressively knock them out .
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2024
With a library of thousands and movies and shows, even insomniacs won’t run out of things to watch.
—Bellamy Richardson, wsj.com, 6 Sep. 2023
Bears, instead, show little preference over morning or night, and dolphins are considered insomniacs who experience fragmented sleep.
—Sarah Wells, Popular Mechanics, 28 Aug. 2023
The show stars Antonia Thomas as Lisa and Craig Roberts as Danny, fellow insomniacs and friends who bond late at night.
—Mckinley Franklin, Variety, 9 Aug. 2023
There is, however, her insomniac’s attachment to a late-night radio show compassionately spotlighting anonymous confessions from the awake and troubled.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2023
Famous insomniacs: Franz Kafka, Arianna Huffington, Vincent Van Gogh, Bill Clinton, Marilyn Monroe, Abraham Lincoln, Madonna, Judy Garland, Groucho Marx, Margaret Thatcher and Tallulah Bankhead.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near insomniac
Cite this Entry
“Insomniac.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insomniac. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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