halfhearted

Examples

• All

• You play on the soccer team, but if boys ever watch, you make only halfhearted attempts to kick the ball.

  Fiction book (1993)

• "I get one a day," Hobie attempted a halfhearted smile.

  Fiction book (1991)

• Mother, father, wife, husband: the family cast just roles for halfhearted actors.

  Fiction book (1998)

• But tonight her interest had been only halfhearted; she seemed sad, and he hated sadness.

  Fiction book (1991)

• There's no sense being halfhearted.

  The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)

• "On to the castle," Zoltan said, but it was more a halfhearted suggestion than a command.

  Fiction book (2002)

• The Japanese government has pursued policies aimed at increasing the birthrate, but these have been too halfhearted.

  Academic text (2012)

• But as long as the countermeasures are as halfhearted as they have been, the Kremlin will be happy.

  Academic text (2015)

• To the contrary, each of these governments has taken at best a halfhearted approach to stemming the HIV epidemic.

  Academic text (2002)

• His halfhearted attempt to finish the project showed that he wasn't really interested.

Synonyms

A

apathetic

vshalfhearted

24 6.8

Not showing much interest or energy

focuses more on low energy and casual effort rather than numbness

L

lukewarm

vshalfhearted

16 4.4

Not showing much interest or excitement

describes weaker enthusiasm but more active than mere indifference

L

lethargic

vshalfhearted

15 5.3

Being very tired and slow with little interest or energy

relates to low enthusiasm but focuses more on physical slowness

T

tepid

vshalfhearted

14 6.2

Showing little interest or enthusiasm

is the everyday term for that mild lack of enthusiasm

H

half-hearted

vshalfhearted

11 4.8

Showing little interest or effort

is the same meaning but in unhyphenated modern spelling

U

unmotivated

vshalfhearted

8 4.4

Not feeling interest or energy to do something

describes low enthusiasm in action but may still have some drive

L

lackadaisical

vshalfhearted

5 8.6

Showing little energy or interest and doing things slowly and carelessly

focuses more on low enthusiasm than on laziness or carelessness

U

unenthusiastic

vshalfhearted

4 3.9

Not showing much interest or excitement

is similar but often used more casually in speech

P

passionless

vshalfhearted

3 6.2

Not showing strong feelings or interest

is similar but emphasizes low energy rather than no feeling

U

unenthused

vshalfhearted

• Informal

1 5.3

Not showing excitement or interest

is the common neutral way to express low enthusiasm

S

spiritless

vshalfhearted

1 6.0

Showing little energy and no enthusiasm

emphasizes lack of spirit while the key stresses low enthusiasm

Antonyms

E

enthusiastic

175 2.7

Very excited and interested in something

C

committed

79 4.0

Shows loyalty and works hard for a cause or group

How Enthusiastic

passionate

329 2.8

enthusiastic

175 2.7

halfhearted

4 4.3

unenthusiastic

4 3.9

apathetic

24 6.8

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology