: characterized by lack of interest, energy, or spirit
a listless melancholy attitude
listlessly
adverb
listlessness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of listless in a Sentence
He became listless, answered in monosyllables, gurgled, drank a great deal of whisky, and looked with hateful eyes at everyone.
—
Isaiah Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 12 Apr. 1987
She looked up and saw everyone starting his work. She took out a piece of paper, feeling listless and bored as she did.
—Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy, 1964
His blue eyes had lost their colour; they had a listless droop; and his mouth, losing the fulness of youth, was weak and pale.
—W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, 1915
Her pretty face was wan and listless, her hair uncurled—some locks hanging lankly down, and some carelessly twisted round her head.
—Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, 1847
The heat made everyone tired and listless.
The party was a listless affair.
Isaiah Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 12 Apr. 1987
She looked up and saw everyone starting his work. She took out a piece of paper, feeling listless and bored as she did.
—Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy, 1964
His blue eyes had lost their colour; they had a listless droop; and his mouth, losing the fulness of youth, was weak and pale.
—W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, 1915
Her pretty face was wan and listless, her hair uncurled—some locks hanging lankly down, and some carelessly twisted round her head.
—Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, 1847
The heat made everyone tired and listless.
The party was a listless affair.
Recent Examples on the Web
Twelve-year-old Nuri lives with his father Kemal Pasha, a leftist dissident banished from an unnamed country, in a listless family apartment in Cairo.
—Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
Just like the space where Carolina’s contributors gathered their belongings after the 17-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Panthers’ hopes of any sort of in-season turnaround were, yet again, restricted by another listless performance from the offense.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Advertisement On Thursday, the Lakers looked as listless as ever, mostly wandering their way through a game, that was, in part, a receipt for those three previous wins.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2024
On Wednesday, stocks ended mostly higher on Wall Street after a listless day of trading with big technology stocks again acting as a heavy weight on the market.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024
That was a sentiment that Keith Bishop, an accountant with zero interest in the job, embodied, and Mr. MacIntosh imbued him with a listless affect.
—Isabella Kwai, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
Their sudden appearance prompted hundreds of phones to pop up and film what was teed up to be a cool moment — except the people in the cheap-looking ape costumes just paced around slowly like listless zombies before making their exit.
—Journal Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2024
The truth is, attainment for attainment’s sake dampens our rewards system, and leaves us feeling listless.
—Forbes Partner Releases, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
The loss was somewhat expected based on the Americans’ listless play through three group stage matches.
—Anne M. Peterson, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Aug. 2023
Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
Just like the space where Carolina’s contributors gathered their belongings after the 17-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Panthers’ hopes of any sort of in-season turnaround were, yet again, restricted by another listless performance from the offense.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Advertisement On Thursday, the Lakers looked as listless as ever, mostly wandering their way through a game, that was, in part, a receipt for those three previous wins.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2024
On Wednesday, stocks ended mostly higher on Wall Street after a listless day of trading with big technology stocks again acting as a heavy weight on the market.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024
That was a sentiment that Keith Bishop, an accountant with zero interest in the job, embodied, and Mr. MacIntosh imbued him with a listless affect.
—Isabella Kwai, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
Their sudden appearance prompted hundreds of phones to pop up and film what was teed up to be a cool moment — except the people in the cheap-looking ape costumes just paced around slowly like listless zombies before making their exit.
—Journal Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2024
The truth is, attainment for attainment’s sake dampens our rewards system, and leaves us feeling listless.
—Forbes Partner Releases, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
The loss was somewhat expected based on the Americans’ listless play through three group stage matches.
—Anne M. Peterson, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'listless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near listless
Cite this Entry
“Listless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/listless. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
listless
adjective
list·less
ˈlist-ləs 
: too tired or too little interested to want to do things
listlessly
adverb
listlessness
noun
Etymology
Middle English listles "having a lack of desire to act or move," from earlier list "desire, liking"
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