torpor

[ tawr-per ]

noun

1. sluggish inactivity or inertia.
2. lethargic indifference; apathy.

   Synonyms: listlessness, stolidity, lethargy

3. a state of suspended physical powers and activities.
4. dormancy, as of a hibernating animal.

   Synonyms: drowsiness, sleepiness, slumber

torpor

/ ˈtɔːpə /

noun

1. a state of torpidity

Derived Forms

• ˌtorporˈific, 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

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

To call for structural change would require a kind of systemwide cognitive reboot for American voters that seems almost inconceivable in the generalized torpor and despair of July 2024; it would necessitate asking an electorate that has in large part lost all confidence and trust in the high court whether it believes that something might genuinely be done to change it.

From Slate

“These drugs he was taking, in the period of time when Zuccarini was arranging the secret wedding and having him sign oppressive documents, are known to have significant effects on cognition, including confusion, hallucinations, torpor, depression, memory loss, and dissociation.”

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Los Angeles Times

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

From BBC