Quantcast
Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
  • Dictionary
  • Thesaurus
  • Scrabble
  • Spanish Central
  • Learner's Dictionary

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

lifeless

play
adjective life·less \ˈlīf-ləs\

Simple Definition of lifeless

  • : having no living things

  • : dead or appearing to be dead

  • : lacking spirit, interest, or energy

Source: Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary

Full Definition of lifeless

  1. :  having no life: a :  dead b :  inanimate c :  lacking qualities expressive of life and vigor :  insipid d :  destitute of living beings

lifelessly

adverb

lifelessness

noun

See lifeless defined for English-language learners

See lifeless defined for kids



Examples of lifeless in a sentence

  1. a cold and lifeless landscape

  2. The book's plot was lifeless and predictable.



Before 12th Century

First Known Use of lifeless

before 12th century

lifeless Synonyms

Synonyms
asleep, breathless, cold
Antonyms
alive, animate, breathing

LIFELESS Defined for Kids

lifeless

play
adjective life·less \ˈlīf-ləs\

Definition of lifeless for Students

  1. 1 :  having no living things <a lifeless planet>

  2. 2 :  dead or appearing to be dead

  3. 3 :  lacking spirit, interest, or energy <a lifeless house>



Learn More about lifeless

  1. Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lifeless Spanish Central: Translation of lifeless Nglish: Translation of lifeless for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lifeless for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up lifeless? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

cabal

play

a secret group of plotters

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. diaspora From the Greek word meaning "to scatter"

  2. big league, bigly Both are real words

  3. stamina The word means "staying power"

  4. temperament The candidates attacked each other's temperaments

  5. braggadocio Trump said 'braggadocious'

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

lifeless

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

dog-eating-apple

Which is a synonym of asperse?

defame divulge placate beat
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

10-words-that-are-older-than-you-might-think-irregardless
Imply/Infer, Amuse/Bemuse, and Other Usage Problems Solved With Limericks

You're welcome

venus
'Venom' and the Goddess of Love

Who knew 'venom' could be so lovely?

migos
Dabbing

New uses of an old word

autumn
Is It 'Autumn' or 'Fall'?

Why does this season have two different names?

Ask the Editors

subjunctive
How to Use the Subjunctive in English

If I were you, I'd watch this

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

dog-eating-apple
September Words of the Day Quiz

Test your knowledge of September Words of the Day.

Take the quiz
alphabet-pasta-spelling-help
Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

Can you spell these 15 tricky spelling words?

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game
Examples: lifeless in a sentence