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Lackluster may describe things that are dull, but the word itself is no yawn. In its earliest uses in the early 17th century, lackluster (also spelled lacklustre) usually described eyes that were dull or lacking in brightness, as in “a lackluster stare.” Later, it came to describe other things whose sheen had been removed; Charles Dickens, in his 1844 novel Martin Chuzzlewit, writes of the faded image of the dragon on the sign outside a village alehouse: “many a wintry storm of rain, snow, sleet, and hail, had changed his colour from a gaudy blue to a faint lack-lustre shade of grey.” These days lackluster is broadly used to describe anything blah, from a spiritless sensation to a humdrum hump day.
Examples of lackluster in a Sentence
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
In fact, Superman isn’t the first major studio film this year to score at homeland multiplexes while logging relatively lackluster box office abroad.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
There was also, among others, a 1976 version of Freaky Friday whose lackluster script and broad direction were somewhat redeemed by the irresistible pairing of Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
The parties, according to Allen, featured lackluster food and would sometimes have just takeout from a Chinese restaurant.
—Liam Quinn, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lackluster
Cite this Entry
“Lackluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lackluster. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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lackluster
adjective
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