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
Examples of tepid in a Sentence
He gave a tepid performance.
My suggestion was given a tepid response.
Recent Examples on the Web
Although those tepid grades aren’t unusual for the horror genre, a debut under $10 million is not a promising sign for its commercial prospects.
—
Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
The tepid comeback is yet another blow to the Los Angeles economy, where countless ancillary businesses — florists, marketing agencies, dry cleaners — are supported by entertainment.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
That optimism seems to be the consensus among analysts, including Goldman Sachs’ chief economist: The ruthless economic pains of a recession, such as mass layoffs and tepid consumer spending, probably won’t happen anytime soon.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 24 Mar. 2024
With the Iraq war raging in 2004, Mr. Haidt, a registered Democrat, took his dog on evening walks around Charlottesville and thought about why his party was waging such a tepid campaign against George W. Bush.
—Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024
The apparel retailer soared on a 21% increase in 2023 sales of $1.45 billion—up from $1.2 billion the year before—but tepid sales growth predictions for 2024 have halted its skyrocketing stock.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024
The biopic was released to somewhat tepid reviews from critics, earning a 42% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024
Amidst the threat of company layoffs, Javier is met with further life-altering news that his tepid office fling with co-worker Camila has resulted in her pregnancy.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
Clawing back Pell benefits, however, could undermine the tepid recovery of higher education coming out of the pandemic.
—Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
The tepid comeback is yet another blow to the Los Angeles economy, where countless ancillary businesses — florists, marketing agencies, dry cleaners — are supported by entertainment.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
That optimism seems to be the consensus among analysts, including Goldman Sachs’ chief economist: The ruthless economic pains of a recession, such as mass layoffs and tepid consumer spending, probably won’t happen anytime soon.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 24 Mar. 2024
With the Iraq war raging in 2004, Mr. Haidt, a registered Democrat, took his dog on evening walks around Charlottesville and thought about why his party was waging such a tepid campaign against George W. Bush.
—Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024
The apparel retailer soared on a 21% increase in 2023 sales of $1.45 billion—up from $1.2 billion the year before—but tepid sales growth predictions for 2024 have halted its skyrocketing stock.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024
The biopic was released to somewhat tepid reviews from critics, earning a 42% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024
Amidst the threat of company layoffs, Javier is met with further life-altering news that his tepid office fling with co-worker Camila has resulted in her pregnancy.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
Clawing back Pell benefits, however, could undermine the tepid recovery of higher education coming out of the pandemic.
—Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tepid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tepid
Cite this Entry
“Tepid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tepid. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tepid
adjective
tep·id
ˈtep-əd 
1
: lukewarm
a tepid bath
2
: lacking enthusiasm or conviction : halfhearted
a tepid response
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