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

In the days since his victory, Mamdani has faced attacks from Republicans and conservatives for his faith as a Muslim, been falsely labeled a communist, and received a tepid welcome from many mainstream Democrats. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 2 July 2025

Real-time payments have been around since 2017 thanks to The Clearing House starting the RTP network that year, but only some banks have adopted the new tool, and those that have signed up have had tepid uptake in the marketplace. —David G.w. Birch, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025

That’s as housing supply has increased while demand has stayed tepid amid still-high mortgage rates hovering around 7%. —Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 28 June 2025

In the midst of a tepid truce in the U.S.-China tariff war, many companies appeared eager to enter the U.S. market. —Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 18 June 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