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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
Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2026
Policymakers were already split over whether to prioritize persistent inflation or lackluster employment.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Pixar is definitively back on top at the box office after a number of lackluster premieres.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
Atwell brings speed to a receiver room that’s pretty lackluster outside of Jaylen Waddle.
—Miami Herald, 13 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 25 Mar. 2026.
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lackluster
adjective
