1
as in warm
having or giving off heat to a moderate degree
I left the bowl of soup sitting on the counter too long, and now it's lukewarm
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in neutral
showing little or no interest or enthusiasm
the dentist's lecture on the merits of flossing got only a lukewarm response
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lukewarm
Florida’s Republican lawmakers, who would have to pass a law removing the requirements, have been lukewarm to the idea.
—
Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
The White House request for kicking this month’s government shutdown deadline into next year is drawing a lukewarm reception from some GOP spending cardinals.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 11 Sep. 2025
While Venice was keen on del Toro’s latest, Variety film critic Peter Debruge was lukewarm.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
But when the direction doesn’t hook us in enough, these ideas tend to go down like a lukewarm latte in a film that could have really used more heat.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lukewarm
Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
The White House request for kicking this month’s government shutdown deadline into next year is drawing a lukewarm reception from some GOP spending cardinals.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 11 Sep. 2025
While Venice was keen on del Toro’s latest, Variety film critic Peter Debruge was lukewarm.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
But when the direction doesn’t hook us in enough, these ideas tend to go down like a lukewarm latte in a film that could have really used more heat.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lukewarm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lukewarm
Adjective
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The movie was roundly rejected by critics and general audiences aren’t any warmer, with moviegoer survey firm Cinema Score polling a bad C- grade among early viewers.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
20 Sep. 2025
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The pastel colorway, which also includes a warm blue and a mushroom hue bestows a sort of quiet luxury to your chamber.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The neutral or natural rate of interest is the one that enables full sustainable employment and stable inflation.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
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The neutral tones and soft surfaces, textured fabrics, walnut shelves with brass and fabric details, are also details mapped out by Serafini, who developed the store with Re-Design Studio, led by Riccardo Furlani, and AAFW — Alessandro Fantetti Workshop.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Still, this contributed to a somewhat tepid level of support for the hosts, even on home soil, especially when combined with flat, uninspiring football in the group stage.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
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And then there’s the Nissan Versa that comes standard with a manual gearbox as a way to both maintain its standing as the most-affordable car in America, and to wring the most out of its tepid (though fuel-efficient) 122-horsepower engine.—
Jim Gorzelany,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Zach Bryan and Gavin Adcock were involved in a heated confrontation that nearly turned physical at the Born & Raised Festival in Pryor, Oklahoma.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
14 Sep. 2025
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Researchers in Taiwan have developed a stretchable, self-healing gel that changes color when pulled or heated.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Cracker Barrel statement doesn't satisfy naysayers Reactions to the announcement were largely unenthusiastic, with many fans accusing the chain of ignoring their concerns and calling for a return to the old brand design.—
Diana Leyva,
The Tennessean,
26 Aug. 2025
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There's only so much one can glean from the preseason, but performance reviews for Maye have been unenthusiastic at best.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Agrawal and her team studied ionic liquids — salts that are liquid at sub-boiling temperatures (below 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius) — as a potential hospitable environment for life.—
Stefanie Waldek,
Space.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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One idea is that about a million years after the Big Bang, the universe cooled and underwent a phase transition, an event similar to how boiling water turns liquid into gas.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Scientific American,
3 Mar. 2020
Adjective
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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
Cite this Entry
“Lukewarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lukewarm. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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