anemic

adjective

ane·​mic ə-ˈnē-mik 

1

: relating to or affected with anemia

The blood test indicated that he was slightly anemic.

2

a

: lacking force, vitality, or spirit

an anemic rendition of the song

anemic efforts at enforcement

b

: lacking interest or savor (see savor entry 1 sense 3) : insipid

anemic wines

c

: lacking in substance or quantity

anemic returns on an investment

anemic attendance

anemically

ə-ˈnē-mi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of anemic in a Sentence

The doctor told me I was slightly anemic.

The band played an anemic rendition of a classic love song.

Investors are worried about the stock's anemic performance.

Officials worried about anemic attendance at the shows.

Sales rose an anemic 0.5 percent last quarter.

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s a 3% slowdown from the previous quarter’s already anemic growth. —Katica Roy, Fortune, 22 Nov. 2025

The passing offense with Fields has been anemic, as the quarterback is 29th in the NFL in passing yards. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 22 Nov. 2025

Ships have been sanctioned, but enforcement action has been anemic. —Jack Watling, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2025

The team scored just 10 points and had an anemic 220 yards of total offense, and Nix went just 16 of 28 while throwing two interceptions and just one touchdown pass. —Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see anemia

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for anemic

• ischaemic
• ischemic
• leukemic
• phonemic
• racemic
• uremic
• hyperglycemic
• hypoglycemic
• uraemic