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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
Zev Fima, CNBC, 21 June 2025
This discount signifies investor skepticism regarding BP’s changing strategy, lackluster earnings, and structural challenges.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
The lackluster environment is only the latest instance of what seems to be a real apathy around a team that will host the World Cup in less than a year.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Markets closed off a lackluster week as the major stock indices either slightly dipped or remained flat on Friday.
—Ben Weiss, Fortune, 20 June 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 1 Jul. 2025.
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lackluster
adjective
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