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
Even since Thailand’s 2014 coup d’etat that brought Prayuth to power, reform of the police has topped the agenda, yet progress has been torpid.
—
Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Oct. 2022
The intensity of that airlift — one of the largest in history — stands in sharp contrast to the torpid pace of evacuations after the withdrawal.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022
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
See All Example Sentences for torpid
Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Oct. 2022
The intensity of that airlift — one of the largest in history — stands in sharp contrast to the torpid pace of evacuations after the withdrawal.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022
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
See All Example Sentences for torpid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torpid
Adjective
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Tucked into the sleepy hillside village of Agra, the home was originally commissioned as a vacation house for Milanese entrepreneur Luigi Cattaneo.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
13 May 2026
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Memory has been the biggest theme of late due to a global shortage that's driven up prices and turned Micron, a 47-year-old company tucked in a sleepy corner of the semiconductor market, into one of the hottest trades over the past 12 months.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Florida woman said her arm went numb and her face began to droop.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
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The steering, however, is numb and the handling is competent but uninspiring.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
The world of college football is rarely dull.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
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This charger brings interactivity and enthusiasm to this process that has been viewed as so dull for so long.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
When Bill’s older brother Henry (Barry Ward) finds the pianist in numbed solitude in his dingy apartment, Bill has canceled all his upcoming gigs, saying Scotty cannot be replaced.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Ingber also notes the numbed response to these strikes from much of the American public, something that, in part, may come from the routine nature of these drone strikes as something that the nation has become desensitized to dropping bombs on enemies.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Disruption from the Iran war is weighing on spending by luxury consumers in the Middle East, formerly one of the sector's few bright spots amid sluggish growth in former growth driver China and in Europe.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
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Analysts have cited other reasons for slowdowns in rent gains, such as sluggish wage gains and persistent inflation, but there is data to support a surge in apartment supply.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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Especially if the human is asleep or an infant.—
Caroline Rose Giuliani,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
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The children, Athena Lee, 5, and Mateo Lee, 4, were asleep as the long, complex operation to capture their father Sunday evening reached its end in Baja.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
19 May 2026
Adjective
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In a film running a lethargic 2 hours 20 minutes, the Farhadis have kept only the set-up and composer Zbigniew Preisner’s delicate but hauntingly emotional score.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
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Frank never had a chance of uniting the crowd following lethargic home defeats to Chelsea, Fulham and Arsenal.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Adjective
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Flights via the Gulf are being restored as the Iran conflict remains quiescent, but tourists are staying away from the region itself.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
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Local Democratic politicians were strangely quiescent, despite a pre–Catahoula Crunch poll showing that nearly 80 percent of New Orleans residents opposed the deployment.—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torpid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torpid. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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