torpor

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noun tor·por \ˈtȯr-pər\

Definition of torpor

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

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torpor was our Word of the Day on 08/27/2011. Hear the podcast!

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 of torpor from the Web

A few supremely well-staged set-pieces relieve the torpor, none more so than an exactingly composed introductory sequence that plunges the viewer into the rituals of an official banquet held in Zweig's honor by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry.

— guy lodge, chicagotribune.com, "'Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe' review: Biopic celebrates Austrian author," 20 July 2017
Then as now, rumblings broke out at a time of equity torpor, with the VIX dipping below 10 and markets acting immune to all kinds of risk.

— dani burger, Bloomberg.com, "Low Volatility Raises Paranoia Over Leverage in the Quant Fund World," 22 May 2017
U.S. stocks have shaken off the torpor that marked much of January.

— richard barley, WSJ, "Why Bond Market Isn’t Convinced About Surging Growth," 16 Feb. 2017
The big events of the fight against apartheid — the Sharpeville massacre, the Soweto uprising, the death of Steve Biko, Mandela’s release after 27 years in prison — arrive on cue but don’t rouse the series from its torpor.

— mike hale, New York Times, "Review: ‘Madiba,’ a Stately but Static March Through Mandela’s Life," 31 Jan. 2017
The opening piece was hectic and clangorous; after that, torpor set in.

— alex ross, The New Yorker, "Daniil Trifonov’s Sleight of Hand," 9 Jan. 2017
Then there’s Pandora, Nathalie’s indoor cat, a feline with a long-sitting gift for torpor.

— joe morgenstern, WSJ, "‘Things to Come’ Review: A Life of Ideas," 1 Dec. 2016
That Muzak version of the 2001 theme played on repeat, limping through the torpor of the humidity.

— gideon lewis-kraus, WIRED, "Check In With the Velociraptor at the World’s First Robot Hotel," 2 Mar. 2016
The mental torpor wasn't caused merely by vitamin dearth but by the long spool of undifferentiated days.

— hampton sides, Esquire, "Ghost Soldiers," 29 Jan. 2007

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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of torpor

Middle English, from Latin, from torpēre

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First Known Use: 13th century

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Synonym Discussion of 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