lukewarm

adjective

luke·​warm ˈlük-ˈwȯrm How to pronounce lukewarm (audio)
Synonyms of lukewarmnext
1
: moderately warm : tepid
a lukewarm bath
lukewarm coffee
2
: lacking conviction : half-hearted
gave them only lukewarm support
a lukewarm review
lukewarm applause
lukewarmly adverb
lukewarmness noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of lukewarm in a Sentence

I hate drinking lukewarm coffee. Our plan got a lukewarm reception. The producer was lukewarm about her script.
Recent Examples on the Web By contrast the relatively lukewarm reception to Martin Luther King Jr. Day has made education about difficult stories from our nation’s past less likely. —Tobin Miller Shearer, TIME, 19 June 2024 And when the iron is lukewarm, that’s when Tubi strikes. —Jasmine Ball, Fortune, 14 June 2024 At least someone knows silly lukewarm drama like this could be bad business. —Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2024 Pisces Rising If 2023 has been lukewarm on the travel front so far, November might be when things start to turn around. —Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Oct. 2023 See all Example Sentences for lukewarm 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lukewarm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from luke lukewarm + warm; probably akin to Old High German lāo lukewarm — more at lee

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lukewarm was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near lukewarm

Luke

lukewarm

lukewarmish

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Lukewarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lukewarm. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

lukewarm

adjective
luke·​warm ˈlü-ˈkwȯ(ə)rm How to pronounce lukewarm (audio)
1
: mildly warm : tepid
a lukewarm bath
2
: not enthusiastic : indifferent
our plan got a lukewarm reception
lukewarmly adverb
lukewarmness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on lukewarm

Nglish: Translation of lukewarm for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of lukewarm for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway

How to Use Accents and Diacritical Marks
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

12 Star Wars Words

'Swash', 'Praya', and 12 More Beachy Words

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A crossword with a twist
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
Spelling Bee Quiz Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...