Meaning & use
narcoleptic
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparablemedical
Affected by narcolepsy, a medical disorder that causes sudden, uncontrollable sleep episodes.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun or after be; do not compare with more or less for the medical sense.
Patterns
- a narcoleptic patient
- be narcoleptic
- narcoleptic symptoms
The driver was later diagnosed as narcoleptic after falling asleep at a red light.
Narcoleptic episodes can last seconds or several minutes.
nouncountablemedical
A person who has narcolepsy and may suddenly fall asleep during normal waking activities.
Grammar: Takes a plural, narcoleptics; use a before singular.
Patterns
- a narcoleptic
- narcoleptics
A narcoleptic may need scheduled naps to stay safe at work.
The support group helps narcoleptics manage school and driving rules.
adjectivebefore a nouninformalhumorous
Causing sudden sleepiness or making people feel as if they could nod off.
Grammar: Informal use before a noun only: a narcoleptic lecture, not the lecture is narcoleptic in careful medical writing.
Patterns
- a narcoleptic meeting
- a narcoleptic lecture
The training video was so narcoleptic that half the room checked their phones.
I avoid narcoleptic podcasts right before bed because they knock me out.
Word forms
| plural noun | narcoleptics |
|---|
Common combinations
- narcoleptic episode
- She pulled over during a narcoleptic episode.
- diagnosed as narcoleptic
- He was diagnosed as narcoleptic in his twenties.
- narcoleptic patient
- The nurse reassured the narcoleptic patient before the scan.
- suddenly narcoleptic
- The medicine left me suddenly narcoleptic at my desk.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sleepy
- Sleepy is a mild everyday feeling; narcoleptic refers to a medical loss of sleep control.
- drowsy
- Drowsy means ready to fall asleep, while narcoleptic sleep can strike suddenly and uncontrollably.
- sedative
- A sedative is a drug that causes calm or sleep; narcoleptic describes a disorder, person, or informal sleep-inducing thing.
Opposites
Word family
- narcolepsy noun
- The medical condition of sudden, uncontrollable sleep episodes.
Commonly confused: narcoleptic or hypnotic?
narcoleptic vs hypnotic
Hypnotic can mean sleep-producing or trance-like; narcoleptic is tied to sudden sleep attacks, not hypnosis.
Practice
The new treatment helped him stay awake, so he felt less ___ during long meetings.
Choose one answer.
Narcoleptic fits because the context is about uncontrollable sleep episodes. Nocturnal suggests nighttime activity, restless means unable to relax, and dizzy means lightheaded rather than sleep-prone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “narcoleptic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.