Did you know?
The English word torpor is a 13th-century borrowing from Latin: torpōr-, torpor mean "numbness, paralysis, absence of energy, lethargy," and correspond to the Latin verb torpēre, meaning "to be numb, lack sensation; to be struck motionless; to be sluggish or lethargic." Early use of the English word is found in a 13th-century guide for religious recluses, where it refers to a spiritual or intellectual lethargy, but scant evidence of the word appears between that point and the 1600s, when the word began to be used in reference to both mental and physical sluggishness. The related adjective torpid (from the Latin adjective torpidus, meaning "numbed" or "paralyzed") has since the 15th century been used to mean "numb," but today it more often means "lacking in energy or vigor."
Examples of torpor in a Sentence
David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for torpor
Cite this Entry
“Torpor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torpor. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
torpor
noun
Share