torpor

noun

tor·por | \ ˈtȯr-pər

Definition of torpor

1a : a state of mental and motor inactivity with partial or total insensibility

b : a state of lowered physiological activity typically characterized by reduced metabolism, heart rate, respiration, and body temperature that occurs in varying degrees especially in hibernating and estivating animals

2 : apathy, dullness

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about torpor

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Choose the Right Synonym for torpor

lethargy, languor, lassitude, stupor, torpor mean physical or mental inertness. lethargy implies such drowsiness or aversion to activity as is induced by disease, injury, or drugs. months of lethargy followed my accident languor suggests inertia induced by an enervating climate or illness or love. languor induced by a tropical vacation lassitude stresses listlessness or indifference resulting from fatigue or poor health. a depression marked by lassitude stupor implies a deadening of the mind and senses by shock, narcotics, or intoxicants. lapsed into an alcoholic stupor torpor implies a state of suspended animation as of hibernating animals but may suggest merely extreme sluggishness. a once alert mind now in a torpor

Did You Know?

Our English word torpor looks the same and means the same thing as Latin torpor, from which it was borrowed into Middle English. It stems from the Latin verb torpēre, which means "to be sluggish or numb." "Torpor" first appeared in a 13th-century guide for religious recluses, where it referred to a spiritual or intellectual lethargy, but there is very little evidence of its use over next the 400 years. It began showing up again in the early 1600s in reference to both mental and physical sluggishness. The related adjective "torpid" (from the Latin adjective torpidus) entered the language in the 15th century.

Examples of torpor in a Sentence

The news aroused him from his torpor. after a lifetime of setbacks, defeats, and failures, he could only greet the latest bad news with a resigned fatalism and dull torpor

Recent Examples on the Web

They were placed in refrigerators, forcing them into torpor for easy handling and transportation. — Lucy Cooke, ajc, "US military is interested in bats as possible defenders against bioweapons," 3 July 2018 They were placed in refrigerators, forcing them into torpor for easy handling and transportation. — Lucy Cooke, ajc, "US military is interested in bats as possible defenders against bioweapons," 3 July 2018 They were placed in refrigerators, forcing them into torpor for easy handling and transportation. — Lucy Cooke, ajc, "US military is interested in bats as possible defenders against bioweapons," 3 July 2018 They were placed in refrigerators, forcing them into torpor for easy handling and transportation. — Lucy Cooke, ajc, "US military is interested in bats as possible defenders against bioweapons," 3 July 2018 They were placed in refrigerators, forcing them into torpor for easy handling and transportation. — Lucy Cooke, ajc, "US military is interested in bats as possible defenders against bioweapons," 3 July 2018 They were placed in refrigerators, forcing them into torpor for easy handling and transportation. — Lucy Cooke, Washington Post, "The batty, explosive history of bats in the military — and why this new idea just might work," 2 July 2018 Maybe the president will quickly snap out of his torpor and either tell Jeff Sessions to fix his mess or jump onto the Senate GOP’s bid to stop the carnage. — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Is Trump Actually Going to Do Anything About Family Separation?," 20 June 2018 In the video, which dropped Tuesday morning—just hours after the exuberance of Memorial Day barbecues finally faded into workweek torpor—a visibly pregnant Cardi shimmies down the block, adorned in jewel tones and copious statement jewelry. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "Cardi B’s ‘I Like It’ Is the Song of the Summer," 29 May 2018

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