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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
Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
Though some reviews, including Deadline’s, have been lackluster, the film is a hit with audiences at both the box office and in the court of public opinion.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 May 2026
Minorities’ limited participation is due primarily to researchers’ lackluster outreach efforts and minorities’ deeply rooted mistrust of research and the medical establishment.
—Jerel Ezell, STAT, 1 May 2026
After Thursday's lackluster showing in Anaheim, the people of Edmonton are staring down the barrel of a long offseason.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 May 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 15 May. 2026.
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lackluster
adjective
