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Definitions

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

By contrast, something like sleeping sickness is spread through a fly, the tsetse fly.

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

Figure 15.13 Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of sleeping sickness in humans.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

“I think no. Now is not the season for tsetse flies. There is hardly any sleeping sickness at all in Kilanga right now.”

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver