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
-
In the comments, Susie offered some extra context about the sleepy passenger in the bed, clarifying to another user that the cocker spaniel refusing to budge is actually the mother of the second spaniel walking alongside them.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 July 2025
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Paired with the ensemble of braiders is their unpredictable clientele – a string of characters demonstrating the breadth of the American women filling salon chairs, from party girls to nepo babies and sleepy nurses coming off the night shift.—
Grace Tucker,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
The tips of my fingers are numb, and my toes are also numb.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 June 2025
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Her mother, Keily Chinchilla, says Bustillo has often been forced to sleep on the floor, her spine seizing from inflammation, her left arm and half her face numb.—
Dhruv Mehrotra,
Wired News,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
Generally, names as a kind of artist name are quite dull nowadays anyway.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
4 July 2025
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Sometimes, an artist who is too long viewed as an outsider to Music City's style and sound will see the shine of the bright lights grow dull on their art.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
While new issues began rebounding in June, M&A remains sluggish.—
Luisa Beltran,
Fortune,
8 July 2025
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Dopamine economy The rapidly growing popularity of the ugly-cute toys contrasts with otherwise sluggish consumption in the country, as many become increasingly frugal in the face of an economic slowdown.—
Anniek Bao,Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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Live 00:00 06:12 06:12 Officials give timeline of response efforts as floods impacted Texas 06:12 Kerrville Police Community Services Officer Chief Jonathan Lamb painted a somber picture of how the morning of July 4 unfolded as floods took over Hunt, when most residents were asleep.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
10 July 2025
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Tolbert’s 10-year-old son was on a couch playing video games while his 4-year-old brother was asleep next to him at their home in the 3600 block of West Palmer Street in the Logan Square neighborhood, according to prosecutors.—
Laura Rodríguez Presa,
Chicago Tribune,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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So far, in 2025, crypto companies (and companies investing in crypto) are proving to be the most resilient and adaptable players in an otherwise lethargic public market.—
Christopher Perkins,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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When McCaughan got ahead in the count 0-2, a crowd largely quieted by a lethargic Twins offense got loud enough for the pitcher to notice.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But just because a stock has been quiescent for a while is no reason to disdain it.—
John Dorfman,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
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In the early 2000s, the U.S. invasion of Iraq united Iraqi Kurds in a quest to preserve their autonomy, and the rivalry in greater Kurdistan eclipsed the quiescent Kurdish rivalry within Iraq.—
Behnam Ben Taleblu,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Nov. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Torpid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torpid. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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