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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
J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 9 Dec. 2025
But La Niña doesn’t guarantee a lackluster winter in Arizona.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Jokic also emphasized that philosophy to The Denver Post after a home loss last Friday, only to play a lackluster defensive game himself against Dallas.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2025
This summer was lackluster for whale sightings, with few blues showing up and the gray whale migration off to a slow start.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lackluster
Cite this Entry
“Lackluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lackluster. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.
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lackluster
adjective
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