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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
Morgan Fargo, Vogue, 22 Dec. 2025
Online, the running narrative seems to be that this entire movement is partly a response to the lackluster sales figures for both 21 and Thug’s recent projects.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
Economists had widely expected the rate trim, which comes at a time of lackluster economic data, softening labor market and a recent decline in inflation that outpaced expectations.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2025
And even the league’s least productive quarterbacks can be effective against lackluster pass rushes.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 15 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 25 Dec. 2025.
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lackluster
adjective
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