There are many different grammatical constructions and terminologies used in English. Let us use the word “tired” to delve deeper into this particular subject.
The word “tired” may be used as an adjective, noun, or adverb depending on the circumstance, the word the form of word that has been selected, or where it appears in a sentence,
Let us now study this subject in further detail utilising some information, concrete sample sentences, and explanations.
There are numerous situations in which a word like “tired” is employed in a variety of grammatical forms. Let us examine a single one of them.
“Tired” is considered to be an adjective when employed in a way that comes before a noun or happens to qualify one even if not placed directly before it.
Example: The tired judge asked the lawyers to hurry up and finish the case.
Explanation: The noun ‘judge’ has been rendered a certain quality to it which is provided by the adjective “tired” which is used as a descriptor right in front of it.
Is “tired” a descriptive adjective?
Distinct words typically fit under different subtypes of the adjective form. Let us examine one of them now.
“Tired” is a descriptive adjective because it characterizes or alludes to the state of the noun it comes before.
Example: A tired child walked up to ask and asked us if we could help him find his mother.
Explanation: The adjective “tired” that is used as a description directly in front of the noun ‘child’ has given it the property that it now has.
When is “tired” a descriptive adjective?
The adjective “tired” is considered to be a descriptive adjective when it helps to elaborate on a certain aspect or characteristic of the noun it is aimed to describe.
To further our comprehension of this subject, let us look at a few additional instances of the word “tired” that have also been discussed in the next column.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. The double role is the most tired trope used in movies since it is so overdone that audiences can see it coming from a mile away. | The noun ‘trope’ has been characterized by the adjective “tired” because as per definition it has been placed in front of it and also qualifies it. |
| 2. The tired teacher has continuously been grading papers for three days now. | In the example as shown, the adjective “tired” serves as both a qualification and a description of the word ‘teacher’ thereby transforming it into a descriptive adjective. |
| 3. A tired man knocked on their door asking if he could have a glass of water, a mall meal, and a bed to sleep in just for one night. | The adjective “tired” which is employed as a descriptor right in front of the noun ‘man’ has given it a distinct quality. |
| 4. The mother took her tired infant into a room to put him down for a nap. | In the example mentioned here the adjective “tired” helps qualify as well as describe the word ‘infant’, consequently turning it into a descriptive adjective. |
| 5. The parents of the twin babies were so tired that they immediately crawled into bed the minute their new nanny showed up to their apartment, so that they could make up for all the lost sleep. | The noun that is being described by the adjective “tired” in this particular statement is ‘babies’. Even though the adjective is not placed before it, it still qualifies as one. |
| 6. The students are tired as they are trying to get through this week with a lot of difficulty as final exams are looming on their heads. | In this sentence, the adjective “tired” is used to describe the noun ‘students’ which is. It still counts as an adjective even though it is not preceded by one. |
| 7. The tired kids lay down for nap time without cribbing since they had exhausted themselves from three hours of continuous play. | The adjective “tired” has been used to describe the noun ‘kids’ since it qualifies it and is used in front of it according to definition. |
Is “tired” an adverb?
Other than as an adjective, the word “tired” has another grammatical form. Let us look into what that could be.
“Tired” is considered an adverb only in certain circumstances and forms. This implies that when employed as an adverb, the word “tired” may need to take on a somewhat different form.
Example: The professor tiredly explained the concepts to his students for the sixth time since it was a difficult topic.
Explanation: As we all know, adverbs tend to further qualify other adverbs, adjectives and even verbs; and in this case the adverb “tiredly” serves that very function by qualifying a verb which in this case is ‘explained’.
When is “tired” an adverb?
The term “tired” becomes an adverb when it is used in the form “tiredly”. These words can only be used as adverbs if they have the suffix “-ly” at the end.
Let us examine a couple instances of this of this particular term being used as an adverb with explanations on the side to get a better comprehension of this.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. The staff tiredly asked all the audience members to calm down and be seated as they were constantly standing up to dance and that was strictly prohibited. | Once again, according to the definition of an adverb, the phrase “tiredly” serves this function because of the suffix “-ly.” |
| 2. We tiredly submitted our assignments just two minutes before the deadline as we procrastinated too much and only began working on it the night before. | Going by the definition on how “tired” may function as an adverb, the term ‘tiredly’ serves its purpose as one due to the ‘-ly’ at the end. |
| 3. They tiredly walked their way up the hill as it was their idea to book a hilltop resort without realizing that vehicles could not be used beyond a certain point as the slope was steep. | In this given sentence, “tiredly” can easily be considered an adverb as it has ‘-ly‘ as its suffix and also qualifies the verb ‘walked’. |
| 4. The employees tiredly asked their boss if they could leave as they had been continuously working on a project for forty-eight hours straight and that too without sleeping a wink. | Given that it qualifies the verb ‘asked’ in this sentence and bears the adverbial suffix ‘-ly,’ “tiredly” can be deemed an adverb in this context. |
| 5. We all tiredly finished our task so that we could get home as soon as possible and would not have any work piled up for the weekend. | As we are all aware, adverbs frequently serve the purpose of further qualifying other adverbs, adjectives, and even verbs. In this instance, the adverb “tiredly” fulfils this purpose by doing the same which in this instance qualifies the verb ‘finished’. |
Is “tired” a noun?
Only when used in a particular way does the word “tired” serve as a noun. Let us investigate what that is.
“Tired” is considered a noun at very rare occasions and it can also be used as a noun in another grammatical form, namely “tiredness”.
Example: The tiredness you will imbibe from this exercise is large but it is totally worth it.
Explanation: Nouns serve as independent entities and do not qualify on their own; rather, they are qualified by other grammatical forms, as is clearly the case with the word “tiredness” here.
When is “tired” a noun?
“Tired” is a noun and so is “Tiredness” and they are recognized as such when they appear as either a subject or object in a line, as most nouns do.
In order to better comprehend this subject, let us examine some further instances of the noun “tired” being used in sentences that have also been explained in the next column.
| Example | Explanation |
| 1. Nobody likes to go on hikes on this path as the tiredness that comes from it is immense. | The term “tiredness” here is not used to qualify other people or objects but is rather serving as a phenomena that takes place, hence by definition functioning as a noun. |
| 2. The tired are asking if they can use the common room to take short naps. | Over here, the word “tired” is used to describe a phenomenon that occurs rather than to describe other people or things, hence it is considered a noun by definition. |
| 3. I felt a lot of tiredness after returning from my long trip to Europe and took at least a week to recuperate and get back on my feet with more energy. | Over here the term “tiredness” is functioning as the indirect object of the sentence, thus undoubtedly making it a noun. |
| 4. We all felt tiredness from the new exercise equipment but I guess that is a good thing as it will help in keeping us all fit. | Here too, the word “tiredness” serves as the sentence’s indirect object, clearly making it a noun. |
| 5. The tired are going to sleep now so we must not disturb them since they all had a very long and arduous week. | Nouns function as entities of their own and do not qualify, but rather get qualified by other grammatical forms which is very much the case her with the word “tired”. |
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be determined that terms like “tired” have the potential to serve as adjectives, nouns, and even verbs if they are used effectively according to what grammatical function a statement asks for.
Is Tired an adjective or an adverb?
I was extremely tired this morning. (“Was” is a form of the verb “be.” In this case, the adverb follows the verb but modifies the adjective, which is “tired.” How tired? Extremely.)
Is tired a adjective?
adjective. exhausted, as by exertion; fatigued or sleepy: a tired runner. impatient or disgusted: You make me tired.
What word is similar to avoid?
avoid
- dodge,
- duck,
- elude,
- escape,
- eschew,
- evade,
- finesse,
- get around,
What part of speech is avoid?
avoid
| part of speech: | transitive verb |
|---|---|
| inflections: | avoids, avoiding, avoided |
What does Kniving mean?
Someone conniving is calculating, scheming, and shrewd — in other words, sneaky and up to no good. This is a word for secretive, shifty behavior.
What is another word for guileful?
In this page you can discover 25 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for guileful, like: disingenuous, crafty, cunning, scheming, sharp, duplicitous, sneaky, artful, foxy, sly and tricky.
What is the opposite of all-knowing?
antonyms of all-knowing MOST RELEVANT. ephemeral. insignificant. lay.
What is the definition of all-knowing?
Someone who’s all-knowing is aware of everything. The narrator of a book is often all-knowing, seeing and having insight into the actions and thoughts of every character.
What do you call a smart person?
genius. noun. someone who is much more intelligent or skilful than other people.
How do I tell if someone is intelligent?
So here are some signs you’re highly intelligent, even if you don’t feel like it.
- You’re Empathetic And Compassionate. Andrew Zaeh for Bustle.
- You’re Curious About The World.
- You’re Observant.
- You Have Self-Control.
- You Have A Good Working Memory.
- You Recognize Your Limits.
- You Like To Go With The Flow.
Table of Contents
- Is Tired an adjective or adverb?
- Is tired a verb or a noun?
- What kind of verb is tired?
- Is tiring a gerund?
- What is difference between tiring and tired?
- What a tiring day meaning?
- What is the meaning of tired in English?
- How do you describe a tired person?
- Why is my energy so low?
- How can you sleep without getting tired?
- How long is a power nap?
- How can I fall asleep in 10 seconds?
- Why do guys fall asleep so quickly?
- How long can you go without sleep?
- How can I sleep for 2 minutes?
- Why is waking up so hard?
- What is the best sleeping position?
- How do u go to sleep fast?
- What do u do when u cant sleep?
- Why I Cannot sleep at night?
- Why can’t I sleep by myself?
- How can I fall asleep in 5 minutes?
- How can I get sound sleep?
Early.) I was extremely tired this morning. (“Was” is a form of the verb “be.” In this case, the adverb follows the verb but modifies the adjective, which is “tired.” How tired? Extremely.)
Is tired a verb or a noun?
Word family (noun) tiredness (adjective) tired tireless tiresome tiring (verb) tire (adverb) tirelessly.
What kind of verb is tired?
(intransitive) To become sleepy or weary. (transitive) To make sleepy or weary.
Is tiring a gerund?
Here the gerund “tiring” is acting as a subject complement. Here the gerund phrase “taking that course” is an object of the preposition. I enjoy being on the swim team. That hike through the woods was tiring.
What is difference between tiring and tired?
As adjectives the difference between tired and tiring is that tired is in need of some rest or sleep while tiring is that tires or tire.
What a tiring day meaning?
If you describe something as tiring, you mean that it makes you tired so that you want to rest or sleep. It had been a long and tiring day.
What is the meaning of tired in English?
1 : drained of strength and energy : fatigued often to the point of exhaustion. 2 : obviously worn by hard use : run-down. 3 : trite, hackneyed.
How do you describe a tired person?
tired
- annoyed.
- bored.
- distressed.
- drained.
- fatigued.
- overworked.
- sleepy.
- stale.
Why is my energy so low?
Low energy may arise when someone is under significant stress, is exercising too much or too little, or has a poor diet. When these are the causes, people should find that simple lifestyle changes cause a significant boost in their energy levels.
How can you sleep without getting tired?
Here are 10 ways to boost your energy after a sleepless night.
- Get up when your alarm goes off. Try to wake up at a consistent time every day.
- Drink caffeine. Coffee can help you stay functional.
- Go outside.
- Get exercise.
- Eat small frequent meals.
- Avoid high-carb foods.
- Take a short nap.
- Stay hydrated.
How long is a power nap?
Naps lasting 10 to 20 minutes are considered the ideal length. They are sometimes referred to as “power naps” because they provide recovery benefits without leaving the napper feeling sleepy afterward.
How can I fall asleep in 10 seconds?
The military method
- Relax your entire face, including the muscles inside your mouth.
- Drop your shoulders to release the tension and let your hands drop to the side of your body.
- Exhale, relaxing your chest.
- Relax your legs, thighs, and calves.
- Clear your mind for 10 seconds by imagining a relaxing scene.
Why do guys fall asleep so quickly?
Prolactin levels are naturally higher during sleep, and animals injected with the chemical become tired immediately. This suggests a strong link between prolactin and sleep, so it’s likely that the hormone’s release during orgasm causes men to feel sleepy.
How long can you go without sleep?
The longest recorded time without sleep is approximately 264 hours, or just over 11 consecutive days. Although it’s unclear exactly how long humans can survive without sleep, it isn’t long before the effects of sleep deprivation start to show. After only three or four nights without sleep, you can start to hallucinate.
How can I sleep for 2 minutes?
How can I fall asleep in 2 minutes?
- Lying in bed.
- Start by breathing slowly and deeply.
- Relax the muscles in your face by releasing all tension in your jaw, forehead and around the eyes.
- Relax your body as you drop your shoulders as low as you comfortably can.
- Breathe in deeply and breathe out slowly.
Why is waking up so hard?
Difficulty waking up in the morning causes These include: parasomnias, such as sleepwalking, sleep talking, and night terrors. sleep apnea, which causes periods of stopped breathing during sleep. sleep deficiency, which can involve not getting good quality sleep, or sleep deprivation, which is not getting enough sleep.
What is the best sleeping position?
- Best sleep positions. Let’s face it.
- Fetal position. There’s a reason why this is the most popular sleep position.
- Sleeping on your side. As it turns out, sleeping on your side is actually pretty good for you — especially if you’re sleeping on your left side.
- Lying on your stomach.
- Flat on your back.
How do u go to sleep fast?
20 Simple Tips That Help You Fall Asleep Quickly
- Lower the temperature.
- Use the 4-7-8 breathing method.
- Get on a schedule.
- Experience both daylight and darkness.
- Practice yoga, meditation, and mindfulness.
- Avoid looking at your clock.
- Avoid naps during the day.
- Watch what and when you eat.
What do u do when u cant sleep?
Get out of bed and do something relaxing that might make you feel drowsy — like reading or playing a repetitive game like Sudoku. Keep the lights low and go back to bed after 30 minutes or so (or sooner if you start feeling sleepy). Avoid technology, like phones, computers, or TV.
Why I Cannot sleep at night?
Insomnia. Insomnia, the inability to get to sleep or sleep well at night, can be caused by stress, jet lag, a health condition, the medications you take, or even the amount of coffee you drink. Insomnia can also be caused by other sleep disorders or mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.
Why can’t I sleep by myself?
If you live with any kind of anxiety or panic disorder, you may be more fearful of being alone, especially at night. Some people even have a fear of sleep itself, known as somniphobia. For many people, sleeping alone simply becomes an issue when it’s not what they’re used to.
How can I fall asleep in 5 minutes?
1. Breathe with your mind.
- Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge behind your upper teeth throughout the exercise (inhaling and exhaling).
- Exhale completely via your mouth, making a “whooshing” sound.
- 4: Now, close your mouth and inhale through your nose to a count of four.
- 7: Hold your breath for seven counts.
How can I get sound sleep?
Top 10 tips for more sound sleep
- Go bland before bedtime. To fall asleep quickly, avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol for at least four hours before you go to bed.
- Be predictable.
- Don’t toss and turn.
- Save the bed for sleep and sex.
- Take a bath.
- Exercise early.
- Make your room dark.
- Grab a snack.
- Afrikaans: moeg (af)
- Ainu: ヨッテㇰ (yottek)
- Albanian: i lodhur (sq)
- American Sign Language: BentB@IpsiChest-PalmBack-BentB@IpsiChest-PalmBack BentB@IpsiChest-PalmUp-BentB@IpsiChest-PalmUp
- Arabic: مُتْعَب (mutʕab), تَعْبَان (taʕbān)
- Egyptian Arabic: تعبان (taʿbān)
- Hijazi Arabic: تعبان (taʿbān)
- Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܟܟ̰ܝܼܚܵܐ m (kčīḳa)
- Azerbaijani: yorğun (az), yorulmuş
- Basque: nekatuta
- Belarusian: сто́млены (be) (stómljeny), змо́раны (zmórany)
- Betawi: gémpor
- Breton: skuizh (br)
- Bulgarian: уморе́н (bg) (umorén)
- Burmese: ငြီးငွေ့ (my) (ngri:ngwe.), မော (my) (mau:)
- Catalan: cansat (ca)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 攰 (yue) (gui6), 癐／𤶊, 䠩／𰸊 (gui6), 疲倦 (pei4 gyun6) (formal)
- Dungan: луй (luy)
- Hakka: 𤸁 (khioi)
- Mandarin: 累 (zh) (lèi), 疲 (zh) (pí), 疲倦 (zh) (píjuàn), 疲累 (zh) (pílèi)
- Min Nan: 忝 (zh-min-nan) (thiám)
- Czech: unavený (cs)
- Danish: træt (da)
- Dutch: moe (nl), vermoeid (nl)
- Esperanto: laca (eo)
- Estonian: väsinud (et)
- Faroese: móður, troyttur
- Finnish: väsynyt (fi), väsähtynyt, uupunut (fi), voipunut, naatti (fi) (informal), puhki (fi) (informal), kuitti (fi) (informal), rätti (fi) (informal), lopussa (fi) (informal), valmis (fi) (slang), sippi (slang), poikki (fi) (informal), piipussa (informal), finaalissa (slang), hapoilla (slang), heikossa hapessa (slang), unelias (sleepy)
- French: fatigué (fr)
- Galician: canso, fatigado, cansado
- Georgian: დაღლილი (daɣlili), მოღალული (moɣaluli)
- German: müde (de)
- Gothic: 𐌰𐍆𐌼𐌰𐌿𐌹𐌸𐍃 (afmauiþs)
- Greek: κουρασμένος (el) (kourasménos)
- Greenlandic: qasuvoq
- Guaraní: kane’õ
- Hawaiian: luhi, māluhiluhi
- Hebrew: עייף עָיֵף (ayéf)
- Hindi: थका (hi) (thakā)
- Hungarian: fáradt (hu)
- Icelandic: þreyttur (is)
- Ido: fatigita (io)
- Indonesian: lelah (id)
- Interlingua: fatigate, lasse
- Irish: tuirseach, scítheach
- Italian: stanco (it), esausto (it), fatto (it), distrutto (it), affaticato (it), stracco (it)
- Jamaican Creole: tiyad
- Japanese: 疲れた (ja) (つかれた, tsukareta)
- Javanese: kesel
- Kapampangan: pagal
- Kazakh: шаршаңқы (şarşañqy)
- Khmer: អស់កំលាំង (ʼɑh kɑmlang), នឿយ (km) (nɨəy), នឿយហត់ (nɨəy hɑt)
- Korean: 피곤한 (ko) (pigonhan)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: ھیلاک (ckb) (hîlak), ماندو (mandu)
- Northern Kurdish: betilî (ku)
- Kyrgyz: чарчаган (ky) (çarçagan), арыган (arıgan)
- Ladino: kansado, desrepozado
- Lao: ເມື່ອຍ (mư̄ai), ເມືີ່ອຽ (mư̄ai), ຫຸຽ (hui), ສະມິ້ງ (sa ming), ລ້າ (lā), ອິດ (ʼit), ຮຸນ (hun), ເໜື່ອຍ (nư̄ai) (rare)
- Latin: fessus (la), dēfessus, lassus (la)
- Latvian: noguris
- Limburgish: meug (li)
- Lithuanian: pavargęs
- Louisiana Creole French: las
- Low German:
- German Low German: mööd
- Luxembourgish: midd
- Macedonian: уморен (umoren)
- Malay: letih (ms), penat (ms), payah
- Manx: skee
- Middle English: irk, forwake, terede, weri
- Mongolian:
- Cyrillic: ядарсан (jadarsan), эцсэн (ecsen)
- Nahuatl: ciciammicqui
- Nepali: थकित (thakit)
- Norman: lâssé
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: trett, trøtt (no)
- Nynorsk: trøytt
- Occitan: cansat (oc)
- Old English: mēþe
- Old Javanese: kĕsĕl
- Old Norse: móðr, þreyttr
- Ottoman Turkish: یورغون (yorgun)
- Persian: خسته (fa) (xaste)
- Piedmontese: strach
- Plautdietsch: meed, kjnirr
- Polish: zmęczony (pl)
- Portuguese: cansado (pt)
- Quechua: sayk’usqa
- Rapa Nui: rohirohi
- Romani: khino
- Romanian: obosit (ro), ostenit (ro)
- Romansch: stanchel
- Russian: уста́лый (ru) (ustályj), уста́вший (ru) (ustávšij), утомлённый (ru) (utomljónnyj)
- Scottish Gaelic: sgìth
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: у̏мо̄ран
- Roman: ȕmōran (sh)
- Slovak: unavený
- Slovene: utrujen (sl)
- Spanish: cansado (es), fatigado (es)
- Swahili: -choka (verb)
- Swedish: trött (sv)
- Tagalog: pagod
- Tajik: хаста (tg) (xasta)
- Tamil: please add this translation if you can
- Telugu: అలసి (alasi)
- Thai: เหนื่อย (th) (nʉ̀ai)
- Tibetan: སྐུ་མཉེལ་པོ (sku mnyel po), ཐང་ཆད་པ (thang chad pa), ངལ་དུབ (ngal dub)
- Turkish: yorgun (tr)
- Ukrainian: сто́млений (stómlenyj), вто́млений (vtómlenyj), уто́млений (utómlenyj)
- Urdu: تھکا (thakā)
- Uzbek: charchagan
- Vietnamese: mệt mỏi (vi), mệt nhọc (vi)
- Walloon: nåjhi (wa), scran (wa), hode (wa), hodé (wa)
- Welsh: blinedig (cy), wedi blino
- West Frisian: wurch
- White Hmong: please add this translation if you can
- Yiddish: מיד (mid)
- Zhuang: fuengx, baeg, naet, naetnaiq, naiq
1
: drained of strength and energy : fatigued often to the point of exhaustion
Synonyms
Example Sentences
I was really tired after the long trip.
She’s too tired to go out tonight.
The children were tired after the hike.
We had to listen to the same old tired excuses again.
Recent Examples on the Web
Four years ago, climate writer Mary Annaïse Heglar penned a classic essay at Vox about being tired of people confessing their environmental sins to her.
—
Heather Souvaine Horn, The New Republic, 31 Mar. 2023
But they were rounded up because Ciudad Juarez residents were tired of migrants blocking border crossings or asking for money.
—Fabiola Sánchez And Morgan Lee, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2023
But they were rounded up because Ciudad Juarez residents were tired of migrants blocking border crossings or asking for money.
—Fabiola Sánchez And Morgan Lee, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Mar. 2023
But they were rounded up because Ciudad Juárez residents were tired of migrants blocking border crossings or asking for money.
—Fabiola Sánchez And Morgan Lee, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Mar. 2023
But they were rounded up because Ciudad Juarez residents were tired of migrants blocking border crossings or asking for money.
—Fabiola Sánchez, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023
But they were rounded up because Ciudad Juarez residents were tired of migrants blocking border crossings or asking for money.
—Fabiola SÁnchez And Morgan Lee, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Mar. 2023
But they were rounded up because Ciudad Juarez residents were tired of migrants blocking border crossings or asking for money.
—CBS News, 29 Mar. 2023
Kwame, 33 Netflix See His Instagram Kwame is tired of the never ending cycle of modern dating, and is ready for a serious partner.
—Milan Polk, Men’s Health, 24 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘tired.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of tired was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near tired
Cite this Entry
“Tired.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tired. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
Share
More from Merriam-Webster on tired
Last Updated:
3 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences
Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!
Merriam-Webster unabridged