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
And those problems are magnified in the slack middle section of this 160-minute film, as the hunters make discoveries of their own in the forest, unnecessary subplots and aliens multiply, and there are some halfhearted attempts at giving them a thin backstory.
—
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2026
Through all these threads, The Audacity throws itself headlong at some of tech’s biggest hot-button topics, including privacy, AI and, in an oddly halfhearted subplot involving JoAnne’s son, Everett Bliunck’s Orson, the manosphere, with an eye as cold as its characters.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
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
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2026
Through all these threads, The Audacity throws itself headlong at some of tech’s biggest hot-button topics, including privacy, AI and, in an oddly halfhearted subplot involving JoAnne’s son, Everett Bliunck’s Orson, the manosphere, with an eye as cold as its characters.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for halfhearted
Adjective
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But that effort is hampered by years of computing underinvestment, a tepid venture capital environment, and a late start in building domestic AI models, Bloomberg reported.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
3 June 2026
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But development activity looked tepid last year, with North Miami Beach posting a rare negative number for the value of homes and buildings constructed in 2025.—
Catherine Odom,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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Rooms vary in size and color palette but all offer soft rugs, silk throws, a neutral but warm color scheme with accent colors like purple, floral bouquets, and large beds just asking to be jumped on.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
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Their angel approached with an easy and neutral expression on his face.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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Ultimately the question is whether Hardy, Glasser and Butterworth can patch things up especially since Hardy was already unenthusiastic about returning for Season 3 due to his conflict with Butterworth.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
28 May 2026
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But historical low voter turnout in gubernatorial primaries, combined with an electorate that has been largely unenthusiastic about the candidates at the top of the ballot, could drive the outcome of the high-stakes election.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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Star Fox Assault and its on-foot combat sections saw a lukewarm reception.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
2 June 2026
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To test for colorfastness, dilute 1 teaspoon of laundry detergent in 1 cup of lukewarm water, then submerge a small area of the garment in the solution.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Halfhearted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/halfhearted. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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