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

• 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

There’s no more space for tepid or lukewarm content. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2025

The film was met with tepid reviews and a lackluster box office return. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2025

Industry will fight back–CEOs have been remarkably tepid in response to various White House moves, from tariffs to directives on how to run their businesses. —Diane Brady, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025

Richard Danielpour, Aaron Jay Kernis, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich delivered recognizable tunes, tonal harmonies, and clear structures, mixed into concoctions that were tepid enough to avoid scalding sensitive ears. —Justin Davidson, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025

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