Synonym Chooser

How does the noun torpor contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of torpor are languor, lassitude, lethargy, and stupor. While all these words mean "physical or mental inertness," torpor implies a state of suspended animation as of hibernating animals but may suggest merely extreme sluggishness.

a once alert mind now in a torpor

In what contexts can languor take the place of torpor?

The words languor and torpor are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, languor suggests inertia induced by an enervating climate or illness or love.

languor induced by a tropical vacation

When can lassitude be used instead of torpor?

While in some cases nearly identical to torpor, lassitude stresses listlessness or indifference resulting from fatigue or poor health.

a depression marked by lassitude

When would lethargy be a good substitute for torpor?

In some situations, the words lethargy and torpor are roughly equivalent. However, lethargy implies such drowsiness or aversion to activity as is induced by disease, injury, or drugs.

months of lethargy followed my accident

When is stupor a more appropriate choice than torpor?

While the synonyms stupor and torpor are close in meaning, stupor implies a deadening of the mind and senses by shock, narcotics, or intoxicants.

lapsed into an alcoholic stupor

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of torpor What remains of the country’s opposition is now in exile — where they have been joined by those who awakened from this torpor. Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024 And blessed be John Leguizamo for coming out at the two-hour mark to shatter the torpor with his razor-sharp ripping of DEI critics and bigots. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2024 This gestures to its deep meaning as a symbol of wisdom, of one’s awakening into knowledge from the torpor of ignorance. Archana Venkatesan, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2024 Not too long ago, however, there were films — some good, some bad — that believed that conversational torpor as a byproduct of incomplete identity formation and the awkwardness of incipient or dying romance deserved the big-screen treatment. Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for torpor 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torpor
Noun
  • Prosecutors have argued Penny, who is White, showed indifference and acted with disregard by holding Neely, who is Black, in the chokehold for an excessive amount of time.
    Celina Tebor, CNN, 2 Dec. 2024
  • Soccer officials mostly displayed a glaring disregard for their suffering.
    Samindra Kunti, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Yet her vocals, which swing from earthy to spectral, contain enormous amounts of pathos, boredom, joy, anxiety, resignation, hope.
    Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
  • Across millennia, music has been used to relieve a variety of ailments, from chronic pain to depression, anxiety, and simple boredom.
    Daniel Levitin, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Online, conservatives and liberals alike have expressed reactions ranging from indifference to schadenfreude over Thompson's murder, citing their gripe with the U.S. healthcare system and the companies, like UnitedHealth, that have denied their medical claims in the past.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
  • Rosa’s feelings of indifference turned to frustration and resentment.
    Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 26 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • And rich, fatty foods, such as gravy, can contribute to pancreatitis, a painful condition characterized by vomiting and lethargy that requires emergency veterinary care.
    Lisa Bloch, The Mercury News, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Also, look for unsteadiness, lethargy, and drowsiness. Seizures.
    Melissa Willets, Parents, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • First, there was the chest-down, sort of squaring-up motion that drunkards do to bouncers, to be followed by a strike which could not even be conceived of in drunken stupors.
    Simon Johnson, The Athletic, 30 June 2024
  • What bold vocabulary could shake me out of my Swift stupor and juice me up for a new Perry release?
    Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 18 June 2024

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Thesaurus Entries Near torpor

Cite this Entry

“Torpor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torpor. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on torpor

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