TORPID Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

torpid

adjective

ˈtȯr-pəd

Definition of torpid

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

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

Adjective

During an allegedly sleepy period on the NBA schedule, the Lakers shook everyone awake with a blaring alarm.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Terrell, who is gay and doubles as a night-club promoter, brings in scores of drinkers to their perpetually sleepy pub, transforming it into Philadelphia’s trendiest gay bar.

— Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of sleepy

Adjective

My hand instantly went numb, the wrist and fingers falling limp and useless.

— Todd Orr, Outdoor Life, 30 July 2026
As people around her begin slipping into an emotionally numb trance described as being eclipsed, the boundaries between Bego’s imagination, the digital world and physical reality begin to dissolve.

— Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 30 July 2026

Definition of numb

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

Third-quarter duel Clark and Bueckers put on a show in the third quarter, helping their teams emerge from a sluggish first half.

— James Boyd, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
In recent months, the combination of sluggish pay and surging prices has prompted many shoppers to draw down savings and take on debt, Boussor said.

— Max Zahn, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of sluggish

Adjective

In case of emergency, there’s a lyre on the nightstand that lulls him asleep.

— Brandon Follick, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026
An intoxicated Flint man was arrested after he was found asleep in his vehicle and blocking lanes of Interstate 75 in Oakland County, Michigan State Police said.

— Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of asleep

Adjective

Female mice dosed with QACs lost interest in food, became lethargic and short of breath, and began to lose muscle control during late pregnancy.

— Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
The expansion to California’s film and TV tax credit program hasn’t notably curbed lethargic production levels in Los Angeles, at least not yet.

— Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2026

Definition of lethargic

Adjective

Experts believe the volcano is currently in a quiescent state, but researchers monitor it around the clock.

— Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
For galaxies with a quiescent supermassive black hole, astronomers measure how quickly the stars tightly packed near the center of the galaxy are traveling.

— Mary Ogborn, The Conversation, 25 June 2026

Definition of quiescent

Browse Nearby Words

torpedoes

torpid

torpidity

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Style

“Torpid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torpid. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of torpid

adjective

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