tepid

[ tep-id ]

adjective

1. moderately warm; lukewarm:

   tepid water.

   Synonyms: mild, moderate

2. characterized by a lack of force or enthusiasm:

   tepid prose;

   the critics' tepid reception for the new play.

   Synonyms: unemotional, apathetic, halfhearted

tepid

/ ˈtɛpɪd /

adjective

1. slightly warm; lukewarm
2. relatively unenthusiastic or apathetic

   the play had a tepid reception

Derived Forms

• teˈpidity, noun
• ˈtepidly, adverb

Other Words From

• te·pidi·ty tepid·ness noun
• tepid·ly adverb
• sub·tepid adjective
• sub·tepid·ly adverb
• sub·tepid·ness noun
• subte·pidi·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tepid¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin tepidus “lukewarm,” from tep(ēre) “to be lukewarm” + -idus -id ⁴

Word History and Origins

Origin of tepid¹

C14: from Latin tepidus, from tepēre to be lukewarm

Example Sentences

Pointing the finger at "naysayers", and "blockers" whoever the people are who are wallowing in the tepid bath he described is a deliberate decision.

From BBC

The film around her is itself built on a fault line of contradictions — it’s at once tepid and sledgehammer-insistent, a slab of decadent milquetoast.

From Los Angeles Times

In a speech setting out his priorities for government on Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer said "too many people in Whitehall are comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline".

From BBC

Taking aim at the civil service, the PM said "too many people in Whitehall are comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline".

From BBC

But the speech had a secondary aim: galvanising Whitehall, after he accused too many civil servants of being "comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline".

From BBC

Related Words

• dull
• halfhearted
• mild
• unenthusiastic
• warm