Meaning & use
jet lagged
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Feeling tired, sleepy, and confused because you have traveled quickly across several time zones.
Grammar: Used after linking verbs like be, feel, get, or look; it does not usually come before a noun.
Patterns
- be jet lagged
- feel jet lagged
- get jet lagged
After flying from Tokyo to New York, I was jet lagged for three days.
She looked jet lagged at the morning meeting and kept yawning.
We arrived in Sydney feeling jet lagged and went straight to bed.
adjectivenot comparable
Showing the effects of crossing time zones, such as being awake at the wrong time of day.
Grammar: Often used before a noun when describing a state or a person, as in 'a jet-lagged traveler'.
Patterns
- a jet-lagged traveler
- a jet-lagged feeling
- jet-lagged sleep
The jet-lagged passengers waited quietly for their connecting flight.
His jet-lagged body still thought it was the middle of the night.
Jet-lagged sleep patterns can take a week to return to normal.
Common combinations
- be badly jet lagged
- After the long flight, she was badly jet lagged and could barely stay awake.
- feel jet lagged
- I always feel jet lagged for a couple of days after I fly east.
- get over being jet lagged
- It took him a week to get over being jet lagged.
- jet-lagged traveler
- The hotel offers early check-in for the jet-lagged traveler.
- still jet lagged
- Even after two nights, I was still jet lagged and woke up at 3 a.m.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tired
- A general word for needing rest; it does not say why, while 'jet lagged' means the tiredness comes from crossing time zones.
- exhausted
- Much stronger than 'jet lagged' and means extremely tired, not just affected by travel.
- disoriented
- Focuses on feeling confused about time or place; 'jet lagged' specifically links this to flying across time zones.
Opposites
Word family
- jet lag noun
- The uncountable noun for the tired feeling caused by crossing time zones.
- jet-lagged adjective
- The hyphenated spelling of the same adjective, common in British writing.
Commonly confused: jet lagged or jet lag? jet lagged or lag?
jet lagged vs jet lag
'Jet lag' is the noun ('I have jet lag'), while 'jet lagged' is the adjective ('I am jet lagged'). Do not say 'I have jet lagged'.
jet lagged vs lag
'Lag' means to fall behind or move slowly, often used for computers or internet connections, not for travel tiredness.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'jet lagged' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Jet lagged' is an adjective, so it follows 'be' or 'feel': 'I am jet lagged.' Option 0 wrongly puts an adjective after 'have', and option 2 uses the noun 'jet lag' after 'am', which needs an article or a different verb such as 'have'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “jet lagged”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.