torpid

adjective

ˈtȯr-pəd How to pronounce torpid (audio)
Definition of torpidnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of torpid The sequel, by contrast, is torpid, clogged with lengthy but uninteresting tête-à-têtes and generally lacking in vigor, even in the two blowout battle scenes in the final act. — Kyle Smith, WSJ, 10 Nov. 2022 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 See All Example Sentences for torpid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torpid
  1. sleepy
  2. numb
  3. dull
  4. numbed
  5. sluggish
  6. asleep
  7. lethargic
  8. quiescent
Adjective
  • Then, just nine months later, came the collision Wednesday morning that turned a sleepy stretch of rail lined by olive groves near the village of Urda into a scene of carnage.
    — Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The collision Wednesday morning that turned a sleepy stretch of rail lined by olive groves into a scene of carnage came just four weeks before the country votes in a national election.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of sleepy
Adjective
  • To live in truth here, now, today is to resist the forces that would like nothing more than to isolate, numb, and commodify us.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Halfway through my hands and feet went numb, then felt like fire, and then contorted into strange positions like lobster claws.
    — Kate Berlant, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of numb
Adjective
  • Just like many of his neighbors, the sound of the Delciello’s bell sent Carmody scrambling to round up tools and knives that needed their dull blades refreshed.
    — Susan DeGrane, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Spend your peak time on low-value work, and your axe will be dull for everything that counts.
    — Jeremy Macliver, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of dull
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
  • 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
Definition of numbed
Adjective
  • The Miami-Dade County School Board first proposed the tax in response to sluggish state funding for public schools.
    — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The players understand what’s at stake, and none are making any excuses in the locker room after yet another sluggish start for the unit.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of sluggish
Adjective
  • When his mother was murdered just outside her home, Justin was only 5 years old and asleep in his bedroom.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Nov. 2026
  • On the other side of the bed was me, in my cozy pajamas, asleep under a white blanket with my head also turned to the right.
    — Jenny Hughes, The Spruce, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of asleep
Adjective
  • The stars have grown lethargic and limp, with lesions spread across their bodies, their arms falling off or disintegrating.
    — Joseph Ogilvy, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The national committee has faced a host of criticism from other Democrats for its lethargic fundraising, including calls for DNC Chair Ken Martin to step down that have so far gone unheeded.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of lethargic
Adjective
  • As in The History of New York, the Dutch patriarchs are invariably idle and quiescent.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Experts believe the volcano is currently in a quiescent state, but researchers monitor it around the clock.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Definition of quiescent

Browse Nearby Words

torpedoes
torpid
torpidity
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Cite this Entry

“Torpid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torpid. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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