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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
James Boyd, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2025
Despite a still-robust economy, on paper anyway, lackluster hiring is adding to Americans’ frayed nerves, as is the erosion of federal safety-net benefits.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
While Big Tech is attracting investor interest, the rest of the market has been rather lackluster.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
Stitch Fix is simply a better retail mouse trap by Baer’s way of thinking, replacing lackluster stores and the endless aisle with stylists who send shoppers a box of looks to try on at home.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 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 Nov. 2025.
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lackluster
adjective
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