1
as in sleepy
slow to move or act
a torpid sloth that refused to budge off its tree branch
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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
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
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
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.—
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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.—
Adjective
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Like, like my legs are going numb.—
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On my knees, my hands zip-tied behind me, my fingers and feet quickly grew numb.—
Adjective
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Contributor Yelena Moroz Alpert finds Brooklinen’s prints a good midway point between something too chintzy or something too dull, and thinks highly of the material as well.—
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The fiber’s irregular length distribution—with 50 percent at 28 millimeters and 50 percent in the 10 to 20 millimeter range—delivers a textured, semi-dull and opaque aesthetic that achieves a genuine, vintage washdown performance.—
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.—
Adjective
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The Lakers played their fourth game this week, at times looking sluggish because of the workload.—
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Hiring slowed more than expected in December, a sluggish end to what was one of the weakest years of job growth in decades, a dynamic that further amplified America’s affordability crisis.—
Adjective
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Have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting a good night's sleep.—
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Two other children, who were Dupree’s daughters, were asleep inside the house and were not injured.—
Adjective
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Philadelphia was again doomed by a lethargic offensive effort that cost it a shot at a repeat championship.—
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More energy and enthusiasm There were too many times in the first few months of the season when this team looked lethargic.—
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.—
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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.—
Cite this Entry
“Torpid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torpid. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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