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

Economists polled by Reuters had expected the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to expand by a tepid 0.1% over the period, up from bumper growth of 0.7% in the first quarter. —Chloe Taylor,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2025

The August 1 jobs report showed that job gains in July were tepid, at 73,000, and that job gains in the two months prior were revised down substantially. —Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2025

After all, European growth has been tepid in the past decade, particularly compared to the US and China. —Peter Vanham, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025

Captain America: Brave New World was met with tepid reviews and a sluggish box office. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 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