tepid

adjective

tep·​id ˈte-pəd 

1

: moderately warm : lukewarm

a tepid bath

2

a

: lacking in passion, force, or zest

tepid poetry

b

: marked by an absence of enthusiasm or conviction

a tepid interest

a tepid response

tepidity

tə-ˈpi-də-tē 

te-

noun

tepidly

ˈte-pəd-lē 

adverb

tepidness noun

Synonyms

• halfhearted
• lukewarm
• uneager
• unenthusiastic

Examples of tepid in a Sentence

He gave a tepid performance.

My suggestion was given a tepid response.

Recent Examples on the Web

But these launches have largely been met with tepid market reaction. —Emily Glass, CNBC, 1 Feb. 2025

On a phone call with U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Pritzker reportedly led a critique of the tepid response to Trump, so far, by Democrats in Congress. —David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025

Before Bitcoin, Michael Saylor And MicroStrategy Took Another Wild Ride Read More For the next two decades MicroStrategy languished with tepid sales and a market cap hovering around $1 billion. —Nina Bambysheva, Forbes, 30 Jan. 2025

Such a tepid matchup is another thing that would have been unimaginable eight years ago. —Ross Barkan, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English teped, from Latin tepidus, from tepēre to be moderately warm; akin to Sanskrit tapati it heats, Old Irish tess heat

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

tepid

adjective

tep·​id ˈtep-əd 

1

: lukewarm

a tepid bath

2

: lacking enthusiasm or conviction : halfhearted

a tepid response