tepid
Americanadjective
-
moderately warm; lukewarm.
tepid water.
-
characterized by a lack of force or enthusiasm.
tepid prose;
the critics' tepid reception for the new play.
- Synonyms:
- apathetic, halfhearted, unemotional
adjective
-
slightly warm; lukewarm
-
relatively unenthusiastic or apathetic
the play had a tepid reception
Other Word Forms
- subtepid adjective
- subtepidity noun
- subtepidly adverb
- subtepidness noun
- tepidity noun
- tepidly adverb
- tepidness noun
Etymology
Origin of tepid
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin tepidus “lukewarm,” from tep(ēre) “to be lukewarm” + -idus -id 4
Explanation
Tepid means lukewarm or half-hearted. If the applause for your mime-on-a-unicycle performance was more tepid than enthusiastic, it might be time to find a new hobby. Around the year 1400, the word tepid evolved from the Latin tepidus, an adjective meaning “lukewarm,” which itself is derived from the Latin tepere, a verb meaning “to be warm.” Tepid people or things are lukewarm or lacking in enthusiasm or emotion. Bathwater that’s been sitting in the tub for two hours is probably tepid. So is the greeting you might give to a former friend you run into at the movie theater.
Vocabulary lists containing tepid
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was unfortunate for the head coach that minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was in the directors' box to hear the half-time booing, to witness a tepid opening period, and the failed rescue attempt.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
Or, it would be if we didn’t have so many cringe-inducing comments from Hegseth, such as: “maximum lethality, not tepid legality.”
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026
The immigration crackdown and tepid interest among teens have made this job one of the toughest positions to fill in the restaurant industry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
He also attributed the tepid response in oil prices to an expectation of “a last-minute postponement, maybe not a deal, but a postponement allowing the two sides to continue talking.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
It was a daring, impulsive move on which the chaplain decided after quarreling with Corporal Whitcomb again and washing down with tepid canteen water his joyless lunch of a Milky Way and Baby Ruth.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
