torpid

adjective

ˈtȯr-pəd How to pronounce torpid (audio)
Definition of torpidnext
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1
as in sleepy
slow to move or act a torpid sloth that refused to budge off its tree branch

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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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torpid
  1. sleepy
  2. numb
  3. dull
  4. sluggish
  5. asleep
  6. lethargic
  7. quiescent
Adjective
  • It is situated next to a sleepy mobile home park, some single-family home neighborhoods and the park.
    — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
  • This delicious sleep aid comes in five different flavors: mint chocolate, hot cocoa, cinnamon chai, sleepy berry and rose.
    — Bianca Salonga, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Definition of sleepy
Adjective
  • This includes drugs like lidocaine, which is used to numb pain.
    — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Regarding driving dynamics, the LT is tuned for non-enthusiasts—the steering is numb and lifeless, and the cornering grip is average.
    — Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Definition of numb
Adjective
  • Miracle leave-in product: on sale for $28 (30% off) Original price: $40 (Ulta) Dealing with dull or damaged hair?
    — Christopher Murray, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • No race including Bianco or Jenner should ever be dull, though, and this one likely won’t be either.
    — Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of dull
Adjective
  • The junta’s sluggish response to the 2008 cyclone ramped up scrutiny of the military government at the time and placed pressure on it to change, eventually leading to the rise of a civilian government, albeit short-lived.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Fields recalled how even during the sluggish economic recovery from the Great Recession, Ford faced challenges hiring and retaining workers.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2025
Definition of sluggish
Adjective
  • Cara and Jacob are asleep on a bench in the hallway when Spencer calls for his aunt.
    — Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Screaming for help Most people in the Plum Bay neighborhood were asleep before dawn on Sunday, Feb. 16.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2025
Definition of asleep
Adjective
  • More Energy Colds often sap your energy, leaving you lethargic and unlikely to get out of bed.
    — Laura Dorwart, Verywell Health, 9 Apr. 2025
  • But his first few weeks in office have been disappointingly lethargic, in contrast to the focused energy coming from the White House.
    — Adrian Wooldridge, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2025
Definition of lethargic
Adjective
  • Nee and Dimond’s story was sweet and innocent, its L.G.B.T.Q. allegory quiescent beneath an uncontroversial message of acceptance.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2025
  • China now has a large, prosperous middle class that is quiescent out of realistic caution but yearns for more freedom.
    — Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2019
Definition of quiescent

Browse Nearby Words

torpedoes
torpid
torpidity
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Cite this Entry

“Torpid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torpid. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

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