sleeping sickness

[slee-ping sik-nis] / ˈsli pɪŋ ˌsɪk nɪs /

NOUN

type of encephalitis

Synonyms

WEAK

catalepsy encephalitis encephalitis lethargica narcolepsy trypanosomiasis

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It has been used to treat West African sleeping sickness, a chronic illness spread by the tsetse fly.

From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2026

You talk about the labor impact of sleeping sickness.

From Salon • May 8, 2025

With Death’s capture, millions are suddenly affected by a strange sleeping sickness: either unable to sleep or basically in a coma.

From The Verge • Aug. 5, 2022

It turns out that the variants rose to a high frequency among people in sub-Saharan Africa because they offer powerful protection against deadly African sleeping sickness, a disease caused by trypanosomes.

From New York Times • May 17, 2022

The free ride may be provided by mosquitoes, fleas, lice, or tsetse flies that spread malaria, plague, typhus, or sleeping sickness, respectively.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond