Synonyms of torpor

torpor

noun

ˈtȯr-pər 

1

as in disregard

lack of interest or concern

after a lifetime of setbacks, defeats, and failures, he could only greet the latest bad news with a resigned fatalism and dull torpor

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disregard
• indifference
• apathy
• nonchalance
• unconcern
• insouciance
• casualness
• complacence
• lethargy
• incuriosity
• disinterestedness
• lukewarmness
• recklessness
• carelessness
• heedlessness
• tepidity
• unawareness
• incuriousness
• coldness
• tepidness
• detachment
• listlessness
• callousness
• stolidity
• dispassion
• aloofness
• impassivity
• stoicism
• impassiveness
• phlegm
• halfheartedness
• hardness
• callosity
• insensitivity
• bloodlessness
• hard-heartedness
• cool

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• interest
• concern
• awareness
• attention
• curiosity
• regard
• attentiveness
• sensitivity
• keenness
• prejudice
• conscientiousness
• bias
• zeal
• desire
• warmth
• ardor
• heedfulness
• vehemence
• partiality
• passion
• warmheartedness
• fervency

2

as in boredom

physical or mental inertness

following a gut-busting Thanksgiving dinner, we spent the rest of the day lounging about in a contented torpor

Synonyms & Similar Words

• boredom
• lethargy
• stupor
• languor
• lassitude
• fatigue
• listlessness
• indifference
• malaise
• sleepiness
• laziness
• hebetude
• narcosis
• inaction
• idleness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• vigor
• vitality
• vivacity
• enthusiasm
• eagerness
• vim
• enterprise
• ambition
• spiritedness
• keenness

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun torpor contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of torpor are languor, lassitude, lethargy, and stupor. While all these words mean "physical or mental inertness," torpor implies a state of suspended animation as of hibernating animals but may suggest merely extreme sluggishness.

a once alert mind now in a torpor

In what contexts can languor take the place of torpor?

The words languor and torpor are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, languor suggests inertia induced by an enervating climate or illness or love.

languor induced by a tropical vacation

When can lassitude be used instead of torpor?

While in some cases nearly identical to torpor, lassitude stresses listlessness or indifference resulting from fatigue or poor health.

a depression marked by lassitude

When would lethargy be a good substitute for torpor?

In some situations, the words lethargy and torpor are roughly equivalent. However, lethargy implies such drowsiness or aversion to activity as is induced by disease, injury, or drugs.

months of lethargy followed my accident

When is stupor a more appropriate choice than torpor?

While the synonyms stupor and torpor are close in meaning, stupor implies a deadening of the mind and senses by shock, narcotics, or intoxicants.

lapsed into an alcoholic stupor

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of torpor

As for Farrell, rarely has a pathological abdication of responsibility been so uncannily conveyed; he’s well matched by his The Beguiled co-star, Nicole Kidman, who cuts through the body-snatcher torpor of the material with her growing rage and panic. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025

Research with species such as the ground squirrel shows tau hyperphosphorylation occurs in the brain in torpor during hibernation and then reverses when the animals wake up. —Robert Martone, Scientific American, 10 Oct. 2025

Rip wakes from his torpor not just on any day, but on an election day, which allows Irving to magnify his hero’s disorientation. —John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025

The sense of torpor extends to the roster. —Andy McCullough, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!