dead to the world
Meaning
Sleeping so deeply that you don’t notice anything happening around you.
Origin
The phrase uses hyperbole: someone asleep is likened to being “dead” because they are unresponsive to the outside world. It’s been used in English for well over a century as a vivid way to describe very deep sleep.
Notes
Colloquial hyperbole meaning very deep sleep; typically used with “be” or “sleep.” It can imply exhaustion (or sometimes being heavily drunk).
Examples
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After the long flight, I was dead to the world as soon as my head hit the pillow.
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He didn’t hear the thunder at all—he was dead to the world.
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By midnight, the kids were dead to the world on the couch.
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I tried calling her twice, but she was dead to the world and didn’t wake up.
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She was so exhausted after the marathon that she slept dead to the world until noon.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Usually appears as “be dead to the world” or “sleep dead to the world.” It’s fairly fixed; rarely modified except with intensifiers (e.g., “absolutely dead to the world”).
Synonyms
- fast asleep
- sound asleep
- out cold
- dead asleep
Antonyms
- wide awake
- alert
- awake and aware