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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The film is weirdly slow and sleepy, and at least 20 minutes too long.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
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These sleepy puppies are right there with you—expert-level napping, zero meetings required.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The roof is a manual Sky Slider design that feels a lot more on-brand than a numb push-button.—
Caleb Jacobs,
The Drive,
26 Mar. 2026
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Over time, your extremities go numb, which indicates the beginning of frostbite.—
Brad Stulberg,
Outside,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The employees of Rockin’ Grandma’s roam the grounds of the retreat site, which boasts multiple structures, and are visited by a series of guest speakers whose lectures range from the merely dull to the truly Dada.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
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Charvet’s ethos is about discretion, but the clothes are not dull.—
Marisa Meltzer,
Vanity Fair,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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But Apple shut down Dark Sky in 2023, prompting an online outcry, and Grossman eventually left out of frustration with Apple’s sluggish corporate schedule of annual software updates.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
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But weaker consumer spending and sluggish demand for new video game consoles have made the job cuts necessary, Sweeney said.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Blue light suppresses melatonin and makes falling back asleep significantly harder.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
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The post included pictures of Norris carrying her as a baby, the two of them sitting next to each other on the beach, one of her asleep on his lap as an adult and another of her asleep on his lap as a baby.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The 3-month-old girl spiked a fever two days earlier and had become lethargic.—
Patricia Callahan,
ProPublica,
19 Mar. 2026
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The investigation began after a 4-month-old was taken to UPMC Washington after becoming unusually lethargic.—
Shelley Bortz,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Local Democratic politicians were strangely quiescent, despite a pre–Catahoula Crunch poll showing that nearly 80 percent of New Orleans residents opposed the deployment.—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Torpid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torpid. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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