Entry 1 sense Webster, 1913 Somnolent /säm'-nəl-ənt/ · Som·no·lent · IPA /ˈsɑːmnələnt/ 01 a. Sleepy; drowsy; inclined to sleep. 1. Sleepy; drowsy; inclined to sleep. “He had no eye for such phenomena, because he had a somnolent want of interest in them.” — De Quincey.