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torpor

noun
tor·​por | \ ˈtȯr-pər How to pronounce torpor (audio) \

Definition of torpor

1a : a state of mental and motor inactivity with partial or total insensibility
b : a state of lowered physiological activity typically characterized by reduced metabolism, heart rate, respiration, and body temperature that occurs in varying degrees especially in hibernating and estivating animals
2 : apathy, dullness
Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about torpor

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Choose the Right Synonym for torpor

lethargy, languor, lassitude, stupor, torpor mean physical or mental inertness. lethargy implies such drowsiness or aversion to activity as is induced by disease, injury, or drugs. months of lethargy followed my accident languor suggests inertia induced by an enervating climate or illness or love. languor induced by a tropical vacation lassitude stresses listlessness or indifference resulting from fatigue or poor health. a depression marked by lassitude stupor implies a deadening of the mind and senses by shock, narcotics, or intoxicants. lapsed into an alcoholic stupor 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

Did You Know?

Our English word torpor looks the same and means the same thing as Latin torpor, from which it was borrowed into Middle English. It stems from the Latin verb torpēre, which means "to be sluggish or numb." "Torpor" first appeared in a 13th-century guide for religious recluses, where it referred to a spiritual or intellectual lethargy, but there is very little evidence of its use over next the 400 years. It began showing up again in the early 1600s in reference to both mental and physical sluggishness. The related adjective "torpid" (from the Latin adjective torpidus) entered the language in the 15th century.

Examples of torpor in a Sentence

The news aroused him from his torpor. after a lifetime of setbacks, defeats, and failures, he could only greet the latest bad news with a resigned fatalism and dull torpor

Recent Examples on the Web

 Popular with tourists and locals for its cold beers and icy rum runners dispatched through open windows, Nick’s is known for laid-back, Old Florida charm that fits perfectly with beach breezes and summer torpor. — Michael Mayo, sun-sentinel.com, "Nick’s Bar on Hollywood Beach aims for September reopening," 6 Aug. 2019 But with Paris rising from its torpor following the Normandy D-Day landings in June — changing the tide of war — the message went out that acts ‘‘to encourage the population’’ were needed. — Elaine Ganley, BostonGlobe.com, "An invisible army set the stage for liberation of Paris from Nazis," 22 Aug. 2019 Popular with tourists and locals for its cold beers and icy rum runners dispatched through open windows, Nick’s is known for laid-back, Old Florida charm that fits perfectly with beach breezes and summer torpor. — Michael Mayo, sun-sentinel.com, "Nick’s Bar on Hollywood Beach aims for September reopening," 6 Aug. 2019 His first came in 1993, during the summer, and his latest draws on that season’s sunlit torpor. — Françoise Mouly, The New Yorker, "Peter de Sève’s “Dog Days of Summer”," 1 July 2019 Popular with tourists and locals for its cold beers and icy rum runners dispatched through open windows, Nick’s is known for laid-back, Old Florida charm that fits perfectly with beach breezes and summer torpor. — Michael Mayo, sun-sentinel.com, "Nick’s Bar on Hollywood Beach aims for September reopening," 6 Aug. 2019 The bowl, crowned with a rubbery fried egg, quickly slips into a brown, salty torpor. — Patricia Escárcega, latimes.com, "Review: The Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens suffers from convoluted cooking," 19 June 2019 Popular with tourists and locals for its cold beers and icy rum runners dispatched through open windows, Nick’s is known for laid-back, Old Florida charm that fits perfectly with beach breezes and summer torpor. — Michael Mayo, sun-sentinel.com, "When will Nick’s Bar on Hollywood beach finally reopen? Not by July 4, disappointed owner says," 11 June 2019 So, too, here: When the game ended, the explosion of joy from the French players, and their small squadron of fans, felt somehow out of place, out of context, with the torpor that had descended. — Rory Smith, New York Times, "France, With Flash to Spare, Reaches the World Cup Final," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'torpor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of torpor

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for torpor

Middle English, from Latin, from torpēre

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More Definitions for torpor

torpor

noun
How to pronounce torpor (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of torpor

formal : a state of not being active and having very little energy

See the full definition for torpor in the English Language Learners Dictionary

torpor

noun
tor·​por | \ ˈtȯr-pər How to pronounce torpor (audio) \

Medical Definition of torpor

: a state of mental and motor inactivity with partial or total insensibility : extreme sluggishness or stagnation of function

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More from Merriam-Webster on torpor

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for torpor

Spanish Central: Translation of torpor

Nglish: Translation of torpor for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about torpor

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