1
as in warm
having or giving off heat to a moderate degree
I left the bowl of soup sitting on the counter too long, and now it's lukewarm
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in neutral
showing little or no interest or enthusiasm
the dentist's lecture on the merits of flossing got only a lukewarm response
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lukewarm
But Means’s lukewarm endorsement of immunization seems to have been insufficient.
—
Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2026
Sullivan says to wash linen sheets in cold or lukewarm water on a short, gentle cycle.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 27 Apr. 2026
This has steered a lukewarm fan reaction to a Miami Herald poll that invited fans to grade the Dolphins choice of Proctor at 12th overall.
—Greg Cote
april 26, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
The first season was lukewarm, but ratings heated up in season 2 when Heather Locklear became a series regular.
—Andrea Lavinthal, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lukewarm
Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2026
Sullivan says to wash linen sheets in cold or lukewarm water on a short, gentle cycle.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 27 Apr. 2026
This has steered a lukewarm fan reaction to a Miami Herald poll that invited fans to grade the Dolphins choice of Proctor at 12th overall.
—Greg Cote
april 26, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
The first season was lukewarm, but ratings heated up in season 2 when Heather Locklear became a series regular.
—Andrea Lavinthal, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lukewarm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lukewarm
Adjective
-
Insider tip Stephanie, the innkeeper, is an innkeeper in the truest sense—warm, soft-spoken, and genuinely concerned about guests’ well-being.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026
-
In warm weather, your kitchen can get unpleasantly hot when cooking in a standard oven.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Available in four neutral shades designed to hide beneath a sheer skirt, these easy-to-slip-on shorts will save you from any wardrobe malfunctions.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
20 May 2026
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Many employees have neutral (or negative) feelings about their email and chat applications.—
Eddy Azad,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Elsewhere in some areas, shoppers had tepid spending.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
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Interest from buyers, despite waitlist stats FIFA has mentioned, has appeared tepid at times.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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Consuming content that goes against your values, or constantly engaging in heated discourse, takes a toll.—
Claire Bahn,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
The home extends onto an expansive loggia with plenty of space for lounging and dining beside the heated infinity pool.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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But historical low voter turnout in gubernatorial primaries, combined with an electorate that has been largely unenthusiastic about the candidates at the top of the ballot, could drive the outcome of the high-stakes election.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
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In this purple-on-purple preppy look, Lady Di (then a 19-year-old nursery school teacher) seemed sweet—if not a little unenthusiastic about being photographed.—
Natalie Arroyo Camacho,
InStyle,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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More humane methods of killing lobsters pre-boiling include a sharp knife through the head, electrical stunning, or freezing.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 Dec. 2025
-
Agrawal and her team studied ionic liquids — salts that are liquid at sub-boiling temperatures (below 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius) — as a potential hospitable environment for life.—
Stefanie Waldek,
Space.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Lukewarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lukewarm. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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