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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
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Gone are the days when dairy-free desserts meant long ingredient lists and lackluster results.
—Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Feb. 2026
After one particularly lackluster trial, Lincoln runs into Sheila Flambé (Janelle James), a sexy magician’s assistant denied the magical spotlight by the city’s old boys club.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026
An opposing coach, Georgetown’s always-unpredictable Ed Cooley, actually introduced the topic after the Huskies’ lackluster win Saturday night, as if he were disappointed not to be given a rougher going over.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 19 Feb. 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 22 Feb. 2026.
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lackluster
adjective
