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
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
The water was so torpid that a thick layer of dust had settled onto it, giving it a cheerless brown tinge.
—Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2022
The ongoing slog has come to symbolize the dilemma multinationals face when confronting Germany’s notoriously torpid bureaucracy.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for torpid
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
The water was so torpid that a thick layer of dust had settled onto it, giving it a cheerless brown tinge.
—Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2022
The ongoing slog has come to symbolize the dilemma multinationals face when confronting Germany’s notoriously torpid bureaucracy.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for torpid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torpid
Adjective
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And while your mind may immediately go to the always sunny beaches in Florida or the upscale vibe of Hilton Head Island, the often overlooked sleepier towns are well worth a visit.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
12 Oct. 2025
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For the president of La Liga, who has turned Spain’s once-sleepy domestic league into a global media brand, exporting Spanish football to the United States has always been the logical next step.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Muir’s head had slammed onto a shallow sandbar, his body instantly going numb.—
Laylan Connelly,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Oct. 2025
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Penile-inversion surgery is rumored to render the tissue numb.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Reeves delivers on all phases of his character arc, making a potentially dull and earnest character soar.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
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The text is excitable and wayward, while many of the photographs are dramatically dull.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Kansas City Chiefs have gotten off to a sluggish start to begin the 2025 NFL season.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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Starving children stopped playing and appeared sluggish or apathetic; cognitive development seemed to halt or even regress.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Amina blows her mom a kiss and then flops down in her crib, pretending to be asleep.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
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Hall of Fame basketball player Paul Pierce was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of driving under the influence after being found asleep behind the wheel of an SUV on a Los Angeles highway, according to the California Highway Patrol.—
David Carrillo Peñaloza,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The market is lethargic nationwide, too, with 345,016 sales, down 9% in a year and 18% below average.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
16 Oct. 2025
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Warning signs for parents Altman explained that indicators a child has ingested drugs include being lethargic, having bloodshot eyes and not being able to focus on anything.—
Brenda Ordonez,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Throughout most of modern history, it was thought that prudent government debt management involved bringing down the ratio of debt to GDP during quiescent periods of growth in order to store fiscal ammunition for the next crisis.—
Kenneth S. Rogoff,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
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Khanna is one of a number of progressive congressional Democrats encouraged by the party to appear in red-district town halls in an attempt to rebut impressions that the party is quiescent in the face of Trump’s onslaught.—
Andrew Cockburn,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torpid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torpid. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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