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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
Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
The discrepancy is partly because of beans’ lackluster image.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
The safe and consistent 60/40 portfolio, which allocates 60% toward stocks and 40% in bonds, is putting on a lackluster performance this year, the bank wrote in a Wednesday note.
—Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026
Speaking of Netflix’s book adaptations, The Night Agent also appears to be putting up a solid performance after a bit of a lackluster debut.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lackluster
Cite this Entry
“Lackluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lackluster. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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lackluster
adjective
