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

The Bank of Japan on Thursday lowered its expectations for 2025 gross domestic product growth to an anemic 0.5%, down from the previous projection of +1.1%, made in January. —David Goldman, CNN Money, 1 May 2025

The figure below contrasts Mexican gas production with imports from the United States, the former being anemic, the latter, robust. —Michael Lynch, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025

But after the announcement, Goldman Sachs analysts withdrew their own recession forecast, but continued to project anemic economic growth of 0.5%. —Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025

The danger is an economy with anemic growth of just 0.3% could easily slip into negative territory. —Steve Liesman, CNBC, 31 Mar. 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