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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Signs to treat fevers include being unusually sleepy, cranky and refusing food and drinks.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
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Trancoso, Bahia The opening of Uxua Casa Hotel & Spa in 2009 transformed the sleepy fishing village of Trancoso into a boho-chic hot spot.—
Maya Kachroo-Levine,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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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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Instead, watching Charles attempt to insert himself into the Garfield Administration by forging papers and sneaking into buildings feels repetitive and a bit dull.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
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Their life in Watertown had been ordinary, maybe even dull sometimes.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
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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After a sluggish start, UM used a dominant finish to the first half to take a lead and carried that momentum over en route to a 38-10 win over the Syracuse Orange on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
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The country has been enduring sluggish consumer spending, alongside a prolonged downturn in the property sector.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting a good night's sleep.—
Ashley Olivine,
Verywell Health,
5 Jan. 2026
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Two other children, who were Dupree’s daughters, were asleep inside the house and were not injured.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Newcastle instantly responded, with West Ham lethargic, noting that their opponent’s midfield trio of Paqueta, Potts, and Mateus Fernandes had been drawn upfield.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Some dogs may also destroy items, try to escape, or seem sad and lethargic when left alone.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
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 9 Jan. 2026.
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