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

But on Sunday, the pass defense sank, falling into a funk that was also attributable to an anemic pass rush that didn’t record a sack of Lions quarterback Jared Goff. —Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025

Whether the preliminary August reading of an anemic 22,000 jobs added to the economy holds true remains to be seen. —Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025

Friday's dismal report showed anemic growth and downward revisions for June and July only emphasized the slowdown in hiring. —Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

The Seattle Seahawks did not exactly get off on the right foot in the Sam Darnold era on Sunday, losing to the San Francisco 49ers in an anemic season opener. —Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 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