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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
Jenny Berg, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2025
Automation offers a way to address two interconnected challenges for Western manufacturers—lackluster productivity growth and labor shortages.
—Steffen Fuchs, Harvard Business Review, 22 Sep. 2025
The Chiefs went on to win the game 22-9, grabbing their first win of the season after lackluster play against the Chargers in Brazil and Eagles last week at Arrowhead Stadium.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
There's nothing worse than booking an overpriced tour or restaurant only to have a lackluster experience, so here's how travelers can make their dollars go further.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 21 Sep. 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 29 Sep. 2025.
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lackluster
adjective
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