lukewarm

adjective luke·warm \ ˈlük-ˈwȯrm \

Definition of lukewarm

1 :moderately warm :tepid

a lukewarm bath

lukewarm coffee

2 :lacking conviction :half-hearted

gave them only lukewarm support

a lukewarm review

lukewarm applause

—

lukewarmly

adverb

—

lukewarmness

noun

See lukewarm defined for English-language learners

See lukewarm defined for kids

Examples of lukewarm in a Sentence

I hate drinking lukewarm coffee.
Our plan got a lukewarm reception.
The producer was lukewarm about her script.

Recent Examples of lukewarm from the Web

Splitting the congressional GOP, much of which is lukewarm about the border wall, is a bonus.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "If Trump Keeps Threatening Government Shutdown, Democrats Will Have Some Leverage — and Some Options," 24 Aug. 2017
How much takeout pizza and lukewarm beverages can one crew stand?

— jonathan takiff, Philly.com, "Memo to Sears: Work on the service team, will ya?," 18 Aug. 2017
A lukewarm pass rush was among many defensive issues for recent UC teams.

— tom groeschen, Cincinnati.com, "UC football 'D' will attack, after years of struggling," 17 Aug. 2017
But the hot shot melts the cold scoop, yielding lukewarm coffee soup.

— leah eskin, idahostatesman, "Coffee custard transforms plain ice cream into sundae with a kick," 8 Aug. 2017
The bankrolling has allowed advertisements on behalf of Strange to dominate airwaves ahead of the primary, part of it in blistering ads accusing Brooks of lukewarm support of President Donald Trump.

— kim chandler, The Seattle Times, "Alabama Senate race a choice between incumbent, firebrands," 2 Aug. 2017
Some people are built to ignore you, or to forget about you, or to feel lukewarm about you.

— heather havrilesky, The Cut, "Ask Polly: It Seems Like My Friends Don’t Like Me," 19 July 2017
Its shares have fallen by nearly 90% from their peak after a series of disappointing quarters for sales and lukewarm take-up of new products.

— geoffrey smith, Fortune, "Streaming Device Maker Roku Wants to IPO By Year-End," 14 July 2017
Analysts generally gave lukewarm responses to Delta’s results and third-quarter forecast.

— david koenig, The Seattle Times, "Delta 2Q profit falls, misses Wall Street predictions," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lukewarm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of lukewarm

Middle English, from luke lukewarm + warm; probably akin to Old High German lāo lukewarm — more at lee

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First Known Use: 14th century

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lukewarm Synonyms

Synonyms

heated, hottish, warm, tepid, toasty, warmed, warmish

Antonyms

chilled, coldish, cool, cooled, coolish, refrigerated, unheated

Related Words

thawed; boiling, broiling, burning, fiery, hot, piping hot, red-hot, roasting, scalding, scorching, searing, steamy, sultry, sweltering, torrid, white-hot; overheated, roasted, superheated, sweltering; blazing, glowing, molten, sizzling; reheated, rewarmed, warmed-over

Near Antonyms

arctic, bitter, bleak, chill, chilly, cold, freezing, frigid, frosty, gelid, glacial, ice-cold, iced, icy, nippy, polar, raw, sharp, snappy, snowy, subfreezing, subzero, ultracold, winterly, wintry (also wintery); frosted; benumbed, nipped, numb

LUKEWARM Defined for English Language Learners

lukewarm

adjective

Definition of lukewarm for English Language Learners

: slightly warm
: not enthusiastic : not having or showing energy or excitement

LUKEWARM Defined for Kids

lukewarm

adjective luke·warm \ ˈlük-ˈwȯrm \

Definition of lukewarm for Students

1 :slightly warm

lukewarm water

2 :not very interested or eager

We got a lukewarm response.

Learn More about lukewarm

See words that rhyme with lukewarm Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lukewarm Spanish Central: Translation of lukewarm Nglish: Translation of lukewarm for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lukewarm for Arabic speakers

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lukewarm

Definition of lukewarm

lukewarmly

lukewarmness

From the M-W Editors

Examples of lukewarm in a Sentence

Recent Examples of lukewarm from the Web

Origin and Etymology of lukewarm

lukewarm Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

LUKEWARM Defined for English Language Learners

lukewarm

Definition of lukewarm for English Language Learners

LUKEWARM Defined for Kids

lukewarm

Definition of lukewarm for Students

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