Adjectives for Tired: From Sleepy to Exhausted (and Tired Of)
The most common adjectives for tired are sleepy and drowsy (you want to sleep), weary and worn out (after effort), exhausted and drained (no energy left), fatigued (formal or medical), and shattered, knackered or beat (informal). For a mind or a mood, use mentally exhausted, frazzled or burned out.
“Tired” has two other meanings that the synonyms do not cover: tired of (fed up with something) and tired as in “a tired joke” (overused). Both have their own sections below, after a scale from mildly sleepy to completely spent.
On this page: picker · from sleepy to spent · physical tiredness · mental tiredness · emotional exhaustion · informal and slang · formal and medical · how tiredness looks · idioms · polite ways to say it · tired of = fed up · tired = overused · mistakes · practice · quick answers
Adjectives for tired: quick picker
| You mean… | Adjectives | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ready for sleep | sleepy, drowsy, heavy-eyed, half asleep | The warm room made me drowsy. |
| tired after effort | weary, worn out, tired out, footsore (after walking) | We were footsore and weary after the hike. |
| no energy left | exhausted, drained, spent, depleted | By the final whistle the players were spent. |
| slow and heavy, often from illness or heat | lethargic, sluggish, listless, run-down | The heat left everyone listless. |
| mind tired | mentally exhausted, foggy, frazzled, fried (slang) | After the exam my brain felt fried. |
| tired from long stress | burned out, emotionally drained, jaded | Many nurses feel burned out. |
| informal, very tired | shattered, knackered (UK), beat, wiped out, dead on my feet | I’m shattered. I’m going to bed. |
| formal or medical | fatigued, enervated, debilitated | Patients often feel fatigued after treatment. |
From mildly sleepy to completely spent
| Level | Adjectives | Typical sentence |
|---|---|---|
| a little | sleepy, drowsy, a bit tired, flagging | I’m starting to flag; let’s take a break. |
| clearly tired | tired, weary, worn out, run-down | She looked worn out after the night shift. |
| very tired | exhausted, drained, shattered, knackered | I was exhausted after the move. |
| completely | spent, dead on my feet, ready to drop, running on empty | Three nights with a new baby and we were running on empty. |
Strong words take strong intensifiers: absolutely exhausted, completely drained, utterly spent. Mild ones take a bit, quite or very: a bit sleepy, very tired. “Very exhausted” is heard, but “absolutely exhausted” sounds more natural.
Adjectives for physical tiredness
| Adjective | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| weary | tired after long effort; a little literary | The weary travellers finally reached the inn. |
| worn out, tired out | tired by a lot of activity | The kids were worn out from swimming. |
| exhausted | extremely tired; the most common strong word | She was exhausted after the marathon. |
| spent | with nothing left after a big effort | He crossed the line and collapsed, spent. |
| footsore, stiff, aching | specific to legs, feet and muscles | aching legs after the climb |
| sluggish, heavy | slow, as if the body weighs more | I feel sluggish after a big lunch. |
| jet-lagged | tired and confused after flying across time zones | still jet-lagged from the flight to Tokyo |
| sleep-deprived | tired from too little sleep over time | sleep-deprived new parents |
For the sleep itself, see adjectives for sleep.
Adjectives for mental tiredness
When the mind is tired, people describe slowness, fog and overload:
- mentally exhausted, mentally drained: the neutral phrases.
- foggy, fuzzy, befuddled: unable to think clearly. My head is foggy this morning. (“Brain fog” is the noun phrase.)
- frazzled: tired and stressed by too many demands. a frazzled parent at the school gate
- overloaded, overwhelmed: too much to deal with; this is the cause of the tiredness rather than the tiredness itself.
- fried, brain-dead (informal): too tired to think. I’m brain-dead after that meeting.
- bleary, bleary-eyed: tired and not fully awake, especially in the morning.
Words like confused, bewildered and distracted describe what tiredness can cause, not tiredness itself. “I’m bewildered” does not mean “I’m tired”.
Adjectives for emotional exhaustion
| Adjective | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| burned out / burnt out | exhausted by long-term stress, usually from work or caring | After ten years in the job she was burned out. |
| emotionally drained | tired by a hard conversation or event | The funeral left us emotionally drained. |
| depleted | with emotional reserves used up; formal | Carers often feel depleted. |
| jaded | tired and no longer enthusiastic, often from too much of something | a jaded traveller who has seen it all |
| weary of | tired of something that keeps happening | Voters are weary of the endless campaign. |
| world-weary | tired of life and its disappointments | a world-weary detective |
Sadness and worry (heartbroken, anxious, tense) often come with tiredness, but they are different feelings; see mood words for those.
Informal and slang words for tired
| Word | Where it is used | Note |
|---|---|---|
| shattered | mainly British | very common: “I’m shattered.” |
| knackered | British, Australian | casual; fine with friends, not at a job interview |
| beat, bushed, pooped | mainly American | “pooped” sounds childish or playful |
| wiped out, done in, all in | general | “I’m done in” = completely tired |
| zonked (out) | general | very tired, or fast asleep |
| dead on my feet, ready to drop | general | tired but still standing or working |
| dog-tired, bone-tired | general | tired right through |
| running on fumes / empty | general | continuing with no energy left |
Two to avoid as “tired”: wasted usually means very drunk or high, and fagged (out) is dated British slang that many readers will find odd or offensive because of the slur it resembles.
Formal and medical words
- fatigued: the standard formal and medical word. Patients may feel fatigued for several weeks. The noun fatigue is used for long-lasting tiredness that rest does not fix.
- lethargic: lacking energy and the will to act, often a symptom. The dog has been lethargic and off its food.
- enervated: weakened, drained of energy (often confused with “energised”, its opposite). She felt enervated by the heat.
- debilitated: seriously weakened by illness.
- somnolent: sleepy; formal or literary. a somnolent afternoon
How tiredness looks: adjectives for a tired face
To show tiredness in writing, describe the face and body: heavy-lidded or bloodshot eyes, dark circles, a pale or drawn face, haggard features (thin and worn from lack of sleep or worry), slumped shoulders, a slow, shuffling walk, a flat voice. “He looked haggard” is stronger than “he looked tired”. For more, see adjectives for eyes and adjectives for face.
Idioms and phrases for being tired
| Phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| can’t keep my eyes open | so sleepy you are falling asleep | Sorry, I can’t keep my eyes open; I’m off to bed. |
| run out of steam | lose energy part of the way through | The team ran out of steam in the second half. |
| hit the wall | suddenly have no energy left, especially in sport | Most marathon runners hit the wall around mile 20. |
| burn the candle at both ends | work late and get up early until you are worn out | She’s been burning the candle at both ends for weeks. |
| out like a light | asleep the moment you lie down | He was out like a light by nine. |
| get a second wind | suddenly have new energy after feeling tired | After a coffee I got a second wind. |
| be running on autopilot | so tired you act without thinking | By Friday I’m running on autopilot. |
Saying you are tired at work or in polite company
“I’m knackered” or “I’m wiped out” can sound too casual in a meeting, and “I’m exhausted” can sound like a complaint. These are softer and still honest:
- I’m flagging a bit. Could we take a short break?
- I’m running low on energy today, so I’ll keep this brief.
- It’s been a long week.
- I’m not at my sharpest this afternoon; can I check the numbers tomorrow?
- I’m a little under the weather. (when tiredness comes from feeling ill)
When you write about someone else, choose the neutral word: “the staff were tired after the audit” is fair; “the staff were lethargic” sounds like a criticism of their effort.
“Tired of”: when tired means fed up
“I’m tired of waiting” does not mean you need sleep. It means you are annoyed or bored by something that keeps happening. The alternatives are different:
- fed up with: I’m fed up with the noise.
- sick of, sick and tired of: I’m sick and tired of your excuses. (strong)
- weary of: formal. The public is weary of strikes.
- bored with, bored of: I’m bored with this game. (“bored of” is common in British speech)
- had enough of: I’ve had enough of this.
The pattern is tired of + noun or -ing: tired of waiting, not “tired to wait”. “Tired from” gives the cause of physical tiredness: tired from the journey.
“Tired” meaning overused or old
A tired joke, phrase, idea or room is one that has been used too often or looks old. Alternatives: stale, worn-out, hackneyed, clichéd, overused, dated, shabby (for furniture and rooms). The hotel’s tired décor needs updating. The plot relies on a hackneyed twist. This is also where worn-out applies to things: worn-out shoes, a worn-out carpet.
Common mistakes
- “I’m tiring.” → I’m tired. (Tiring describes what causes it: a tiring day.)
- “I’m tired to wait.” → I’m tired of waiting.
- “I was very exhausted.” → usually absolutely or completely exhausted.
- “I’m sleepy” after a marathon: possible, but exhausted or spent describes the body; sleepy describes wanting to sleep.
- “The heat energised me” meaning it tired me → the heat enervated me.
- “I’m wasted” at work → most listeners will hear “drunk”. Say wiped out or exhausted.
Practice
Choose the best word.
- After the 12-hour flight I was still ______ for days. (jet-lagged / jaded / hackneyed)
- The film’s ending is a ______ cliché. (tired / drowsy / footsore)
- I’m sick and ______ of cleaning up after you. (tired / weary / spent)
- The antihistamines made me ______ , so I didn’t drive. (drowsy / frazzled / burned out)
- After a decade of 60-hour weeks, he felt completely ______ . (sleepy / burned out / stale)
- She looked pale and ______ after three nights without sleep. (haggard / enervated / bored)
Answers: 1 jet-lagged. 2 tired. 3 tired (the fixed phrase is “sick and tired”). 4 drowsy. 5 burned out. 6 haggard.
Quick answers
What is a stronger word for tired?
Exhausted is the usual one. Drained, spent and shattered are also strong; “dead on my feet” and “running on empty” are informal and vivid.
What is a formal word for tired?
Fatigued. In writing you can also use weary or, for illness, lethargic.
What is a British word for tired?
Shattered and knackered are the most common informal British words; “done in” and “all in” are older.
What is the difference between tired and sleepy?
Sleepy means you want to sleep. Tired is wider: you can be tired after exercise or stress without feeling sleepy.
What does “bone-tired” mean?
Tired right through the body, usually after long physical work. “Dog-tired” means the same.
Checked against Merriam-Webster, the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook. Spotted an error? Tell us — see our editorial policy.
