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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
Wyatte Grantham-Philips, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 June 2024
All told, even some astronomers opted to skip this week’s lackluster alignment.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 June 2024
While some revenge flicks may offer lackluster endings, others provide that addicting, vicarious thrill.
—EW.com, 31 May 2024
Its lackluster cameras and short software support window, however, mean that most people should get the $500 Google Pixel 8a instead.
—PCMAG, 30 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for lackluster 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lackluster.' 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 lackluster
Cite this Entry
“Lackluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lackluster. Accessed 18 Jun. 2024.
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lackluster
adjective
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