Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Moderately warm; lukewarm.
  • adjective Lacking in emotional warmth or enthusiasm; halfhearted.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Moderately warm; lukewarm.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Moderately warm; lukewarm

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Lukewarm; neither warm nor cool.
  • adjective Uninterested; exhibiting little passion or eagerness.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective moderately warm
  • adjective feeling or showing little interest or enthusiasm

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Latin tepidus, from tepēre, to be lukewarm.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin tepidus.

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Examples

  • Former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shiite, also took a stab at what he called a tepid U.S. response to the unrest against the tiny island's Sunni monarchy.

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • I haven't read this, but I did read Esslemont's Night of Knives and I thought it was a bit meh, so I am not surprised that "tepid" is the one word applied to this volume.

    Ian Cameron Esslemont - Return of the Crimson Guard (Book Review) 2008

  • Given the long-term tepid outlook for the world economy, is the near-future the right time to force those costs down consumers' throats?

    Steve Parker: EPA Rates Volt and Leaf: What's Your Choice? Steve Parker 2010

  • And from its crimson source in tepid channels flow.

    Poems, by Mrs. M. Robinson 1791

  • Beneath this window is a broad divan, and here, laved in tepid sea winds and soothed by rippling whispers against the ship's side, I sleep – the langorous, voluptuous sleep of the tropics; ... sink softly into that dim warm flood where one lies drenched, submerged in unconsciousness; a flood that ebbs slowly, slowly – bearing with it all fatigue and satiety – and leaves me on the shores of life again in a pale lilac dusk glimmering with great stars ....

    In Seven Stages: A Flying Trip Around the World 1891

  • These good global numbers hide, however, a more complex reality, namely a tepid recovery in many advanced economies, and a much stronger one in most emerging and developing economies.

    World Faces Serious New Economic Challenges Olivier Blanchard 2010

  • These good global numbers hide, however, a more complex reality, namely a tepid recovery in many advanced economies, and a much stronger one in most emerging and developing economies.

    Olivier Blanchard: World Faces Serious New Economic Challenges 2010

  • BLITZER: President Obama is now using the toughest language yet to condemn Iran's crackdown on political protesters after a week of what his critics called a tepid response.

    CNN Transcript Jun 23, 2009 2009

  • That said, even as a conservative, I believe my bias towards John Tory could have been most charitably described as tepid I did not support him for leader, and as recently as two weeks ago I was not very impressed.

    Archive 2007-09-01 ALW 2007

  • That said, even as a conservative, I believe my bias towards John Tory could have been most charitably described as tepid I did not support him for leader, and as recently as two weeks ago I was not very impressed.

    And The Winner Is... ALW 2007

Comments

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  • strictly physical context?

    May 13, 2009

  • Can't rule out the metaphorical.

    May 13, 2009