anemic

ane·mic | \ ə-ˈnē-mik

How to pronounce anemic (audio)

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Definition of anemic

1 : relating to or affected with anemia The blood test indicated that he was slightly anemic.

2a : 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

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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 the efforts were seen as anemic by the company’s critics, who said little else changed. — Lila Maclellan, Quartz at Work, "McDonald’s, called out as a MeToo laggard, fired its CEO for an improper relationship," 4 Nov. 2019 As for the anemic hitting, the spotty pitching and the missed opportunity to put the Series away in front of a crowd that was ready to explode? — Christine Brennan, USA TODAY, "With World Series all square, Nationals optimistic heading into Game 5: 'It’s a race to two wins'," 27 Oct. 2019 An already anemic Broncos offensive attack no longer has its second-best receiver. — Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star, "18 things to watch in Colts-Broncos matchup," 26 Oct. 2019 But those Welsh fans joking around in that picture with Peyper will likely have had their heads in their hands during what was one of their teams’ most anemic displays for some time. — Steve Douglas, San Diego Union-Tribune, "World Cup ref under scrutiny as Welsh play on in Japan," 21 Oct. 2019 Even more unsettling was a revision to August’s monthly gain, which was adjusted from a suspiciously high 9,000 jobs to an anemic 400 jobs. — Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, "Colorado hiring takes a holiday in September, but unemployment rate falls sharply," 19 Oct. 2019 That’s compounded by the Pac-12′s anemic media rights deal. — oregonlive, "Canzano: Blowing the whistle on Oregon State football after loss to Stanford," 29 Sep. 2019 For a juggernaut like Netflix, one anemic quarter is hardly a crisis. — Fortune, "Meet the Women Leading Netflix Into the Streaming Wars," 23 Sep. 2019 That’s why there is no reason to panic and condemn an offense that has looked anemic the past two games. — Nick Talbot, ExpressNews.com, "UTSA’s loss to Army not a setback," 14 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anemic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

11 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Anemic.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anemically. Accessed 22 November 2019.

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