torpor

[ tawr-per ]
See synonyms for torpor on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. sluggish inactivity or inertia.

  2. lethargic indifference; apathy.

  1. a state of suspended physical powers and activities.

  2. dormancy, as of a hibernating animal.

Origin of torpor

1
1600–10; <Latin: numbness, equivalent to torp(ēre) to be stiff or numb + -or-or1

Other words for torpor

Words Nearby torpor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use torpor in a sentence

  • These are times of torpor in Paris, politically as well as economically.

    The Gunslinger of Rue Miromesnil | Christopher Dickey | December 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • But it was first and foremost an attempt to wake up America from the torpor of the daily grind under its meritocratic overlords.

    Miley Cyrus's Smartest Tattoo | James Poulos | September 28, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • After the feast comes an extended afternoon of tryptophanic torpor in front of the television, football's true home.

    Football, Hold the Stuffing | Charles P. Pierce | November 26, 2008 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Narcotic poisons are neutralized by vinegar:—Narcotics … torpor … strong wine … sour wine … vinegar.

    Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
  • I wanted to speak to him and tried to do so, but the torpor against which I was struggling prevented me for some minutes.

  • The dauphiness fell, half swooned, on the step of her praying-desk and dwelt in deadly torpor.

    Balsamo, The Magician | Alexander Dumas
  • He sank into a kind of torpor, from which he was roused by the sound of applause and enthusiastic bravos.

    The Nabob | Alphonse Daudet
  • It is what will come upon you if you don't throw off this torpor.

    The Diamond Coterie | Lawrence L. Lynch

British Dictionary definitions for torpor

torpor

/ (ˈtɔːpə) /


noun
  1. a state of torpidity

Origin of torpor

1
C17: from Latin: inactivity, from torpēre to be motionless

Derived forms of torpor

  • torporific, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012