soporific
/ˌsɑp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.10 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Example Sentences
- "The doctor prescribed a soporific to help the patient sleep."
- "And ancient soporifics—such as poisonous leaves and various opiate concoctions—were roughly as likely to kill you as they were to induce REM."
- "For we are not here to understand, as perhaps some have, that an author actually falls asleep while he is writing. It is true, that readers are too apt to be so overtaken; […]To say the truth, these soporific parts are so many scenes of serious artfully interwoven, in order to contrast and set off the rest;"
- "It is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is “soporific.” I have never felt sleepy after eating lettuces; but then I am not a rabbit. They certainly had a very soporific effect upon the Flopsy Bunnies!"
- "I should imagine that the smooth riding and the quietness of the diesel or electric cab, coupled with the effect on the eyes of endless successions of sleepers disappearing from sight immediately under the driver's eyes, might in time have a soporific effect, so that the company of a second man, who can assist in signal observations when he is not at work in the engine cab, seems highly desirable in such conditions."
- "The professor delivered a soporific lecture."
Etymology
From French soporifique, from Latin sopor (“deep sleep”). Unrelated to stupor (distinct in Proto-Indo-European).
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌsɑp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk/
- British English: /ˌsɒp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk/
Inflected Forms
soporifics (plural)
soporifick (alternative, obsolete)
more soporific (comparative)
most soporific (superlative)
Derived Forms
Phrases
sleep inducer
Frequently Paired Words
sleep inducer