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
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As Rhule, entering his fourth year, hired or promoted eight assistant coaches, the tepid fan response to the moves reflects concerns about direction in various areas.—
Mitch Sherman,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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Lamont’s job approval rating was a tepid +4, with 49% approving and 45% disapproving.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The vertical stripes and color combination are classic and neutral to match many home designs.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Revelations in the late 1960's and early 70's that President Richard Nixon had ordered the secret bombing of two neutral countries, Cambodia and Laos, pushed Congress to action.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As the choral conductor has enlisted and must be replaced, the unenthusiastic choice is Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Henry Guthrie, who has several marks against him.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
15 Jan. 2026
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The administration of President Donald Trump is unenthusiastic about EVs compared the previous Biden administration.—
Bill Koenig,
Forbes.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Salesforce ‘s lukewarm fourth-quarter results left a sour taste in analysts’ mouths and will do little to stem the software giant’s year-to-date sell-off.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2026
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Perfect serving size, too, where they are gobbled down before morphing back into plain, lukewarm potato slivers.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Halfhearted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/halfhearted. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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