torpor

[tawr-per]

noun

1. sluggish inactivity or inertia.

2. lethargic indifference; apathy.

   Synonyms: lethargy, listlessness, stolidity

3. a state of suspended physical powers and activities.

4. dormancy, as of a hibernating animal.

   Synonyms: drowsiness, slumber, sleepiness

torpor

/ ˈtɔːpə /

noun

1. a state of torpidity

Other Word Forms

• torporific adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of torpor¹

1600–10; < Latin: numbness, equivalent to torp ( ēre ) to be stiff or numb + -or -or ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of torpor¹

C17: from Latin: inactivity, from torpēre to be motionless

Example Sentences

On June 14, I applied to renew my passport, bracing for months of frustration with bureaucratic apathy and torpor.

From Los Angeles Times

While their immune systems keep the fungus at bay when the bat is active, the fungus gains the upper hand once the bats enter their state of torpor.

From Salon

Owen’s torpor — his froggy, monotone way of talking, his incessant, suppressed discomfort — is draining.

From Los Angeles Times

He was in one of his reptilian torpors again.

From Literature

What unfolded was the exact opposite of the torpor in Calcutta.

From BBC