1
as in sleepy
slow to move or act
a torpid sloth that refused to budge off its tree branch
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in numb
lacking in sensation or feeling
my tongue and throat remained torpid for a time following the endoscopy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of torpid
This lowers the body temperature so much that a torpid hummingbird maintains a hypothermic threshold that nears death.
—
Janaya Wecker, Good Housekeeping, 10 Aug. 2022
Inside, though, Ingrid is in a state of torpid discontent, unhappy with her circumstances but unsure of how to change them.
—Sarah Chihaya, The New York Review of Books, 25 May 2022
The water was so torpid that a thick layer of dust had settled onto it, giving it a cheerless brown tinge.
—Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2022
The ongoing slog has come to symbolize the dilemma multinationals face when confronting Germany’s notoriously torpid bureaucracy.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2022
See all Example Sentences for torpid 
Janaya Wecker, Good Housekeeping, 10 Aug. 2022
Inside, though, Ingrid is in a state of torpid discontent, unhappy with her circumstances but unsure of how to change them.
—Sarah Chihaya, The New York Review of Books, 25 May 2022
The water was so torpid that a thick layer of dust had settled onto it, giving it a cheerless brown tinge.
—Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2022
The ongoing slog has come to symbolize the dilemma multinationals face when confronting Germany’s notoriously torpid bureaucracy.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2022
See all Example Sentences for torpid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torpid
Adjective
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January is typically the sleepiest month on the MLB calendar, and the New York Yankees likely won’t disturb slumber much.—
Brendan Kuty,
The Athletic,
9 Jan. 2025
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When the sun goes down, the South Shore of Lake Tahoe is not a sleepy town.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Get weather and fire alerts via text:Sign up to get current wildfire updates by location 'Everybody at this point is just numb' Jimmy Dunne, a longtime Palisades resident who raised his children in the area, was one of the lucky ones.—
Isaiah Murtaugh,
USA TODAY,
10 Jan. 2025
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After a while, the doctor becomes almost empathetically numb or oblivious to the emotional state of the next patient that comes in the door.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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On the thirteenth-century tomb of Eleanor of Aquitaine, she is shown wide awake and reading, while her dull and kingly husband sleeps for all eternity.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
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Dune: Part Two, another fantasy of third-world power struggle, is dull but dedicated to globalism.—
Armond White,
National Review,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Rookie quarterback Bo Nix helped the Broncos offense manage 32.5 points per game over the last seven contests after a sluggish start to the year.—
The Athletic,
The Athletic,
9 Jan. 2025
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Many democracies are already struggling with demographic decline, sluggish economic growth, soaring debt, and ascendant extremist parties.—
Michael Beckley,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Its calming properties can help your body wind down and calm your mind, making falling and staying asleep easier.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
9 Jan. 2025
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The patient was already asleep on the operating table.—
Suzanne Blake,
Newsweek,
8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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There were lethargic possessions that led to poor shots in the second half against Utah State.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Jan. 2025
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For months, experts have been concerned that public health authorities have been lethargic in their response to the burgeoning pandemic, and that public safety has taken a back seat to agricultural interests.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This large, circulating cloud of material, including hot gases enriched in oxygen, was found to be absent from quiescent galaxies that had ceased star formation.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
8 Jan. 2025
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There is no guarantee that the crisis will remain quiescent for much longer.—
Richard Nephew,
Foreign Affairs,
2 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near torpid
Cite this Entry
“Torpid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torpid. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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