1
as in sleepy
slow to move or act
a torpid sloth that refused to budge off its tree branch
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in numb
lacking in sensation or feeling
my tongue and throat remained torpid for a time following the endoscopy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of torpid
Even since Thailand’s 2014 coup d’etat that brought Prayuth to power, reform of the police has topped the agenda, yet progress has been torpid.
—
Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Oct. 2022
The intensity of that airlift — one of the largest in history — stands in sharp contrast to the torpid pace of evacuations after the withdrawal.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022
This lowers the body temperature so much that a torpid hummingbird maintains a hypothermic threshold that nears death.
—Janaya Wecker, Good Housekeeping, 10 Aug. 2022
Inside, though, Ingrid is in a state of torpid discontent, unhappy with her circumstances but unsure of how to change them.
—Sarah Chihaya, The New York Review of Books, 25 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for torpid
Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Oct. 2022
The intensity of that airlift — one of the largest in history — stands in sharp contrast to the torpid pace of evacuations after the withdrawal.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022
This lowers the body temperature so much that a torpid hummingbird maintains a hypothermic threshold that nears death.
—Janaya Wecker, Good Housekeeping, 10 Aug. 2022
Inside, though, Ingrid is in a state of torpid discontent, unhappy with her circumstances but unsure of how to change them.
—Sarah Chihaya, The New York Review of Books, 25 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for torpid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torpid
Adjective
-
The series’ Vladimir, played by Leo Woodall, is a rising literary star and a young father who’s just arrived at a sleepy upstate college, where he and his wife are set to teach.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Then, last Tuesday, Jackie started pancaking — lying flat in the nest bowl — for long stretches and her eyes looked sleepy.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The public at large is gradually becoming numb to our Palantirized surveillance state, and American communities are responding to the militarization of federal law enforcement with their own increasingly intricate webs of sousveillance.—
Sarah Jeong,
The Verge,
1 Mar. 2026
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Do not rub any affected area or use a heating pad or another device like a hairdryer to warm the skin because the person's skin may be numb and doing so may cause more damage to the skin.—
Yi-Jin Yu,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The back-and-forth between Archie and Katie is exhausting, and the politics of academia, including budget changes and the revolving door of faculty and staff, are rather dull.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Cold temperatures dull flavors and aromas—meaning your drink just won't be as full-flavored as one poured at room temperature or served over ice.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
When Bill’s older brother Henry (Barry Ward) finds the pianist in numbed solitude in his dingy apartment, Bill has canceled all his upcoming gigs, saying Scotty cannot be replaced.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Ingber also notes the numbed response to these strikes from much of the American public, something that, in part, may come from the routine nature of these drone strikes as something that the nation has become desensitized to dropping bombs on enemies.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
California’s economy continues to outpace the nation in overall growth but remains constrained by sluggish hiring and an unemployment rate that has stayed elevated for nearly two years, a UCLA forecast said Wednesday.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
These criticisms have been echoed by his critics on the right-wing, who have decried the British government’s response to Iranian counterattacks across the Middle East as sluggish and meandering.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
After the staff trial, several employees reported their dogs had a blast and fell fast asleep on the way home from the mental stimulation of new sights and smells.—
Julia James,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Because thirty-two years ago, the Orange County Board of Supervisors was asleep at the switch.—
John Moorlach,
Oc Register,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Even with dramatically better affordability, rebounds from the Great Recession’s troubles were lethargic.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Yelenda was slightly lethargic, had a right sided head tilt and was non-ambulatory.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But the astronomers suspect this kind of bursty young galaxy in the early universe may someday evolve into what's known as a massive quiescent galaxy in the modern-day cosmos.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
21 Nov. 2025
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All of that water weight exerts a steady downward pressure, suppressing rifting and magma flow, and keeping the subterranean region relatively quiescent.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
12 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torpid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torpid. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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