as in tepid
showing little or no interest or enthusiasm
a halfhearted attempt to clean the house before the arrival of the in-laws
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 halfhearted
In a game that Switzerland dominated for the majority of the time, only some halfhearted chants by the Swiss superfans in the second deck cut through.
—
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 June 2026
And those problems are magnified in the slack middle section of this 160-minute film, as the hunters make discoveries of their own in the forest, unnecessary subplots and aliens multiply, and there are some halfhearted attempts at giving them a thin backstory.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2026
Through all these threads, The Audacity throws itself headlong at some of tech’s biggest hot-button topics, including privacy, AI and, in an oddly halfhearted subplot involving JoAnne’s son, Everett Bliunck’s Orson, the manosphere, with an eye as cold as its characters.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
Alex Bregman was the one who got away, the All-Star third baseman the club tried to sign in spring training with a halfhearted contract proposal that would be rejected.
—Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
The closest Alex and Tess get to a custody battle is a halfhearted chat about who gets the armoire.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Musical theater loves a go-getter, and halfhearted irony just can’t stand up to this much zazz.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
He was used to students skipping the readings or making a halfhearted attempt.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
At times, Beijing has taken harsh measures toward North Korea—including temporarily suspending oil shipments, restricting Chinese tourism, and applying financial sanctions to the North—although such efforts have typically been short-lived and halfhearted.
—Shuxian Luo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2025
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 June 2026
And those problems are magnified in the slack middle section of this 160-minute film, as the hunters make discoveries of their own in the forest, unnecessary subplots and aliens multiply, and there are some halfhearted attempts at giving them a thin backstory.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2026
Through all these threads, The Audacity throws itself headlong at some of tech’s biggest hot-button topics, including privacy, AI and, in an oddly halfhearted subplot involving JoAnne’s son, Everett Bliunck’s Orson, the manosphere, with an eye as cold as its characters.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
Alex Bregman was the one who got away, the All-Star third baseman the club tried to sign in spring training with a halfhearted contract proposal that would be rejected.
—Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
The closest Alex and Tess get to a custody battle is a halfhearted chat about who gets the armoire.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Musical theater loves a go-getter, and halfhearted irony just can’t stand up to this much zazz.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
He was used to students skipping the readings or making a halfhearted attempt.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
At times, Beijing has taken harsh measures toward North Korea—including temporarily suspending oil shipments, restricting Chinese tourism, and applying financial sanctions to the North—although such efforts have typically been short-lived and halfhearted.
—Shuxian Luo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for halfhearted
Adjective
-
But considering that the National Park Service logged some 323 million visits at more than 400 sites last year, the 35,000 initial public comments received from June to January and released following a lawsuit was a tepid response.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
-
It's considered a box office flop, making just over $98 million from a $80 million budget, and its reviews were tepid to say the least.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
Native materials, like Caballero white marble from the north coast, run throughout the property, giving it a sandy, neutral appearance.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
-
With a color palette featuring hues of Sun-Drenched Pink, Sandy Beige, Black and White, Alo said the Summer Atelier line was created for ease of wear, seasonal neutral colors and fabric selections for a summer escape.—
Kanika Talwar,
Footwear News,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Ultimately the question is whether Hardy, Glasser and Butterworth can patch things up especially since Hardy was already unenthusiastic about returning for Season 3 due to his conflict with Butterworth.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
28 May 2026
-
The people in charge of the BBC's broadcast channels remained unenthusiastic, however, feeling the show was tired and needed a longer break.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Colleagues teased her about the lukewarm beverage.—
Ann Larson,
Time,
11 June 2026
-
But even as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Democrats’ campaign arm extend a lukewarm embrace, there remains a greater reluctance among some to champion Platner in the way Republicans quickly did for Paxton after months of vehemently opposing him.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Halfhearted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/halfhearted. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
