TORPID Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

torpid

adjective

ˈtȯr-pəd

Definition of torpid

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

as in numb

lacking in sensation or feeling my tongue and throat remained torpid for a time following the endoscopy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of torpid The sequel, by contrast, is torpid, clogged with lengthy but uninteresting tête-à-têtes and generally lacking in vigor, even in the two blowout battle scenes in the final act. — Kyle Smith, WSJ, 10 Nov. 2022 Even since Thailand’s 2014 coup d’etat that brought Prayuth to power, reform of the police has topped the agenda, yet progress has been torpid. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Oct. 2022 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 See All Example Sentences for torpid

Recent Examples of Synonyms for torpid

Adjective

Illustration by Patricia Bolaños In sleepy South Slope, a local son in search of a beer bar walked past a familiar, long-shuttered laundromat.

— Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
Carlotta and Dedo have to do everything in their power to prove her innocence and avoid losing her again, with their investigation taking them to the heart of their sleepy suburban town, Sundersheim.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of sleepy

Adjective

After nine relocations, baseball fanbases became numb to abandonment, but by 1971, Washington fans who were losing their second franchise in 11 years, had enough.

— Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 Sep. 2026
At one point in the swim, her hand went directly into a compass jellyfish, leaving it numb for a while.

— Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of numb

Adjective

This is a season so overwhelmingly dull that it’s taken three different gay guys to recap it.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Iñárritu seems to think this visual alone is funny, but that would require getting past the persistently dull and witless writing.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of dull

Adjective

When Bill’s older brother Henry (Barry Ward) finds the pianist in numbed solitude in his dingy apartment, Bill has canceled all his upcoming gigs, saying Scotty cannot be replaced.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
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

Definition of numbed

Adjective

The company has also contended with sluggish sales due to softer consumer demand and mounting competition.

— Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
At the same time, sluggish growth makes new projects harder to finance, particularly at rents that lower-income residents can pay.

— Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of sluggish

Adjective

Marris pointed to her daughter, asleep in the back seat of her SUV, and explained Brooklyn’s digestion struggles.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Caleb was asleep in his bed with his mother when he was struck in the head by a bullet, according to WGHP.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of asleep

Adjective

The national committee has faced a host of criticism from other Democrats for its lethargic fundraising, including calls for DNC Chair Ken Martin to step down that have so far gone unheeded.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026
The show was also horribly paced, with way too many pointless instrumental spotlights that somehow managed to come across as both showy and lethargic at the same time.

— Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of lethargic

Browse Nearby Words

torpedoes

torpid

torpidity

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Style

“Torpid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torpid. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of torpid

adjective

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