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
Example Sentences
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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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As the sleepy sports calendar did its usual job of throttling Peacock’s momentum on the customer-acquisition front, the losses at Comcast’s legacy cable unit were similarly predictable.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
31 July 2025
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Now, both parties are stepping up their efforts to win control of state legislatures across the country, shining a fresh light on races that have long been considered sleepy affairs.—
Kristina Karisch,
The Hill,
31 July 2025
Adjective
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These include feeling emotionally numb or that life is meaningless; experiencing difficulty accepting the loss; and experiencing confusion over their own identity.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
28 July 2025
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To be a sports fan in the modern era is to be at least somewhat numb to the steady drip of doping positives.—
Alex Hutchinson,
Outside Online,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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The only other real difference was that the no-sugar version looked shinier and gummier, whereas the originals were a bit duller in comparison.—
Lisa DeSantis,
Glamour,
29 July 2025
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Changeable conditions usually make for exciting races, but 2025 was a bit dull.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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But despite the relaxed rules, progress in LA has been sluggish.—
Umair Irfan,
Wired News,
19 July 2025
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The big screen technologies company, which has long distinguished itself from major exhibitors with physical and costly cinema assets to operate, has seen a recent rebound in box office in China — a major market for Imax — after sluggish revenues in 2024.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
17 July 2025
Adjective
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These student-parents are balancing coursework with working full time, picking up their children from school and studying for long hours after their families are asleep.—
Rita Raichoudhuri,
Chicago Tribune,
23 July 2025
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Federal prosecutors found that during the police raid on March 13, 2020, Hankison blindly fired 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment but did not fire the bullets that killed Taylor, who was asleep in her bed, per a sentencing memorandum obtained by PEOPLE.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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If your pet shows symptoms such as a high fever or swollen lymph nodes, is lethargic, has a loss of appetite or develops a cough or eye drainage, contact a veterinarian immediately.—
Stephanie Innes,
AZCentral.com,
11 July 2025
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The lethargic Bay Area economy had the smallest cost-of-living increase at 15%.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Orange County Register,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But just because a stock has been quiescent for a while is no reason to disdain it.—
John Dorfman,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
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In the early 2000s, the U.S. invasion of Iraq united Iraqi Kurds in a quest to preserve their autonomy, and the rivalry in greater Kurdistan eclipsed the quiescent Kurdish rivalry within Iraq.—
Behnam Ben Taleblu,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Nov. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Torpid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torpid. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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