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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Still, China’s broader growth trajectory has flattened, weighed down by a prolonged property crisis, declined investment, tepid consumption and deflation.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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In all, McTavish has 13 goals and 31 points in 54 games, thus far not rekindling the consistency or menace of his stretch run after a tepid first half last season.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The vertical stripes and color combination are classic and neutral to match many home designs.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
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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
-
My feet slipped a bit on the algae in the lukewarm water, but that’s to be expected, as it’s only cleaned once a year by a group of volunteers.—
Lauren Breedlove,
Outside,
3 Mar. 2026
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Having the right size pan for each task means everything comes together at the same time, rather than cooking in serial and serving a lukewarm dinner.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Halfhearted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/halfhearted. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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