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
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In other cases, the reasons for transferring may not be as clear-cut—for instance, a student simply didn’t mesh with the social scene on campus or doesn’t like the sleepy town their college is located in.—
Christopher Rim,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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This recently opened hotel on the sleepy island of Folegandros is set high on the cliffside, surrounded by 80 acres of rugged nature and with the Aegean Sea directly in front.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Like, like my legs are going numb.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
7 Jan. 2026
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On my knees, my hands zip-tied behind me, my fingers and feet quickly grew numb.—
Emily Wilder,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Engaged to be married to the rich but dull George (played by John Lund), Lord wears a scene-stealing ring throughout the film, its central stone elegantly flanked by a pair of tapered baguettes.—
Rachel Garrahan,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 2026
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The world would be so dull if that were true.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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
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In California, where population growth is lagging much of the rest of the nation, the California Department of Finance projected last year that sluggish growth would continue as international arrivals decreased.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
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Profits at the country’s major industrial firms have been battered by the bruising price wars sweeping across several industries last year as sluggish consumer demands left companies grappling with excess capacity.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This city, which can sometimes seem almost asleep at the wheel, is suddenly wide awake.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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That welfare fraud was real, as the number of convictions attest, and its scale is a stunner and an indictment of the state’s officials, asleep at the wheel.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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If so, the Hornets can’t come out with the kind of lethargic performance that was on display in the opening quarter of their 94-87 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Spectrum Center.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Jan. 2026
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Philadelphia was again doomed by a lethargic offensive effort that cost it a shot at a repeat championship.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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 30 Jan. 2026.
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