tepid

adjective

tep·​id ˈte-pəd 

1

: moderately warm : lukewarm

a tepid bath

2

a

: lacking in passion, force, or zest

tepid poetry

b

: marked by an absence of enthusiasm or conviction

a tepid interest

a tepid response

tepidity

tə-ˈpi-də-tē 

te-

noun

tepidly

ˈte-pəd-lē 

adverb

tepidness noun

Synonyms of tepid

• neutral
• lukewarm
• halfhearted
• unenthusiastic

Examples of tepid in a Sentence

He gave a tepid performance.

My suggestion was given a tepid response.

Recent Examples on the Web

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, 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

Sarah Snook was admittedly a little tepid on the idea of doing a TV show in the middle of her award-winning theater blitz. —Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 7 June 2026

In fact, the Treasury Department has seen a string of weaker bond auctions lately with tepid demand forcing yields to go higher as inflation looks to run higher for longer. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 6 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English teped, from Latin tepidus, from tepēre to be moderately warm; akin to Sanskrit tapati it heats, Old Irish tess heat

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tepid

• intrepid

Kids Definition

tepid

adjective

tep·​id ˈtep-əd 

1

: lukewarm

a tepid bath

2

: lacking enthusiasm or conviction : halfhearted

a tepid response