Laodicean

English

Etymology

From Laodicea (“a city in Asia Minor”) +‎ -an.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leɪədɪˈsiːən/

• Audio (Southern England)

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Adjective

Laodicean (comparative more Laodicean, superlative most Laodicean)

1. pertaining to Laodicea
2. lukewarm, neither hot nor cold (with reference to Revelation 3:16)
   • 1955, Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita:

     The baths were mostly tiled showers, with an endless variety of spouting mechanisms, but with one definitely non-Laodicean characteristic in common, a propensity, while in use, to turn instantly beastly hot or blindingly cold upon you, depending on whether your neighbor turned on his cold or his hot to deprive you of a necessary complement in the shower you had so carefully blended.

3. half-hearted or apathetic, especially with regards to religion or politics

Noun

Laodicean (plural Laodiceans)

1. Somebody from Laodicea

Anagrams

• Caledonia