Master confusing words with ease
Tepid vs. Vapid
Tepid
/ˈtepəd/Examples:
The tepid applause suggested mild interest from the audience.He poured a tepid cup of coffee and winced at the taste.After hours on the table, the soup was tepid and unappealing.
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Antonyms:
Vapid
/ˈvæpəd/Examples:
The conversation was utterly vapid, lacking depth.Her presentation felt vapid, offering no new insights.The novel was criticized for its vapid characters and plot.
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Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Remember that vapid refers to something lacking in liveliness, similar to vapor which can be thin and unsubstantial.
- On the other hand, tepid refers to temperature, like in lukewarm or tepid water, which isn't hot or cold.
- Vapid is more often used to describe things like conversation or performances, whereas tepid is used for temperature-related contexts.
- Think of vapid as describing personality or interest and tepid as describing warmth.
- Both words imply a lack of intensity but in very different ways; vapid is about lack of stimulation or depth, tepid is simply about lukewarm conditions.
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