sleeping sickness: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Medical/Technical, Journalistic, Figurative
Quick answer
What does “sleeping sickness” mean?
a serious tropical disease caused by parasites transmitted by tsetse flies, characterized by fever, headaches, and extreme fatigue that can lead to prolonged sleep, coma, and death if untreated.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
a serious tropical disease caused by parasites transmitted by tsetse flies, characterized by fever, headaches, and extreme fatigue that can lead to prolonged sleep, coma, and death if untreated.
Used metaphorically to describe a state of extreme lethargy, inactivity, or lack of alertness in individuals or organizations.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. The technical term is identical. The metaphorical use is equally recognized in both varieties.
Connotations
Primarily carries strong medical/biological connotations. The metaphorical use is understood but less common in everyday speech than terms like 'lethargy'.
Frequency
Low frequency in general discourse; higher in medical, biological, travel health, and historical contexts. The metaphorical use is rare.
Grammar
How to Use “sleeping sickness” in a Sentence
[Patient] contracted sleeping sickness in [Region].[Medical Team] is working to eradicate sleeping sickness.The [Disease] is also known as sleeping sickness.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “sleeping sickness” in a Sentence
noun
British English
- Sleeping sickness remains a concern in several remote provinces.
- The explorer's journal described the horrors of sleeping sickness.
American English
- Funding for sleeping sickness research has increased this year.
- The documentary highlighted the fight against sleeping sickness.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used metaphorically, e.g., 'The project fell into a sleeping sickness, with no progress for months.'
Academic
Used in medical, parasitology, tropical medicine, and historical public health contexts.
Everyday
Rare. Might be used when discussing serious tropical diseases or travel health.
Technical
Precise term for the disease caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense or rhodesiense.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “sleeping sickness”
- Using 'sleeping sickness' to refer to narcolepsy or common fatigue.
- Misspelling as 'sleeping sicknes'.
- Omitting the connection to the tsetse fly and Africa in definition.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder causing sudden sleep attacks. Sleeping sickness is an infectious parasitic disease.
It is extremely rare. The disease is endemic to specific regions of sub-Saharan Africa where the tsetse fly vector lives.
Without treatment, it is almost always fatal. With modern drugs, it is curable, especially if diagnosed in the early stage.
It refers to the severe sleep cycle disturbances and daytime somnolence that occur in the later, neurological stage of the disease.
a serious tropical disease caused by parasites transmitted by tsetse flies, characterized by fever, headaches, and extreme fatigue that can lead to prolonged sleep, coma, and death if untreated.
Sleeping sickness is usually medical/technical, journalistic, figurative in register.
Sleeping sickness: in British English it is pronounced /ˌsliːpɪŋ ˈsɪknəs/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌslipɪŋ ˈsɪknəs/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a 'tsetse fly' as a tiny alarm clock that doesn't wake you up—it puts you into a deadly, long sleep.
Conceptual Metaphor
SLEEP IS DEATH / INACTIVITY IS DISEASE
Practice
Quiz
How is sleeping sickness primarily transmitted?