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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
Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025
This action effectively reverses the 2015 Kraft–Heinz merger, which had been marketed based on scale and operational efficiency but is now recalled for its lackluster performance.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Hagle said the party that is not in the White House typically performs better in the midterms but noted that Democrats have also been seeing lackluster polling numbers.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Harris gained 1,000 yards or more in four seasons with Pittsburgh and then signed with the Chargers during the offseason to juice up their lackluster ground game.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 1 Sep. 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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lackluster
adjective
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