as in tepid
showing little or no interest or enthusiasm
a halfhearted attempt to clean the house before the arrival of the in-laws
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Recent Examples of halfhearted
Alex Bregman was the one who got away, the All-Star third baseman the club tried to sign in spring training with a halfhearted contract proposal that would be rejected.
—
Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
The closest Alex and Tess get to a custody battle is a halfhearted chat about who gets the armoire.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Musical theater loves a go-getter, and halfhearted irony just can’t stand up to this much zazz.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
He was used to students skipping the readings or making a halfhearted attempt.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
At times, Beijing has taken harsh measures toward North Korea—including temporarily suspending oil shipments, restricting Chinese tourism, and applying financial sanctions to the North—although such efforts have typically been short-lived and halfhearted.
—Shuxian Luo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2025
Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
The closest Alex and Tess get to a custody battle is a halfhearted chat about who gets the armoire.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Musical theater loves a go-getter, and halfhearted irony just can’t stand up to this much zazz.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
He was used to students skipping the readings or making a halfhearted attempt.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
At times, Beijing has taken harsh measures toward North Korea—including temporarily suspending oil shipments, restricting Chinese tourism, and applying financial sanctions to the North—although such efforts have typically been short-lived and halfhearted.
—Shuxian Luo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for halfhearted
Adjective
-
In the last few decades, that swagger seems to have collapsed under the weight of a tepid banality.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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After spending roughly $75,000 on product development and launching Body Mates in 2021, the duo abandoned the idea in 2023 following a tepid response from customers.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Civale entered Tuesday’s game with close to neutral splits, though, so Boone opted for Rosario in a low-risk, high-reward possibility.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
With Ryan McMahon struggling and a neutral right-hander in Aaron Civale pitching for the Athletics on Tuesday, Aaron Boone decided to start the righty-swinging Amed Rosario at third base.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In this purple-on-purple preppy look, Lady Di (then a 19-year-old nursery school teacher) seemed sweet—if not a little unenthusiastic about being photographed.—
Natalie Arroyo Camacho,
InStyle,
2 Apr. 2026
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Some advocacy groups are unenthusiastic.—
Meg Tirrell,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Because the innovator has, for enemies, all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders among those who may do well under the new.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
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Queta smashed those lukewarm expectations, emerging as not just a viable starter, but a true difference-maker.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Halfhearted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/halfhearted. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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