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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
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
These changes can drag on already-lackluster consumer sentiment while further elevating affordability as a leading political issue.
—Alex Harring,itzel Franco, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026
The lackluster hiring was also evident last year, when employers added a total of 181,000 jobs, the lowest since the pandemic year of 2020.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
After a lackluster year that saw the French box office drop by nearly 15% and become dominated by Hollywood blockbusters, 2026 is kicking off with a quartet of ambitious French films driving a 20% jump in theatrical admissions.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lackluster
Cite this Entry
“Lackluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lackluster. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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lackluster
adjective
