as in dulled
not having brightness, brilliance, or vitality
a lackluster, dingy Main Street a lackluster performance His writing can be lackluster at times.
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as in grayness
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lackluster
Jaures Yip, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
Matters were made worse by lackluster earnings Tuesday afternoon from Advanced Micro Devices and Super Micro Computer, both of which manufacture chips used for AI services.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
Despite a still-robust economy, on paper anyway, lackluster hiring is adding to Americans’ frayed nerves, as is the erosion of federal safety-net benefits.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Stitch Fix is simply a better retail mouse trap by Baer’s way of thinking, replacing lackluster stores and the endless aisle with stylists who send shoppers a box of looks to try on at home.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lackluster
Adjective
Silas Stein | Picture Alliance | Getty Images Pinterest shares plummeted 21% on Wednesday after lackluster third-quarter earnings as advertising took a hit from larger retailers dealing with tariffs.
—Jaures Yip, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
Matters were made worse by lackluster earnings Tuesday afternoon from Advanced Micro Devices and Super Micro Computer, both of which manufacture chips used for AI services.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
Despite a still-robust economy, on paper anyway, lackluster hiring is adding to Americans’ frayed nerves, as is the erosion of federal safety-net benefits.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Stitch Fix is simply a better retail mouse trap by Baer’s way of thinking, replacing lackluster stores and the endless aisle with stylists who send shoppers a box of looks to try on at home.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lackluster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lackluster
Noun
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The region’s oft-sung-about grayness turns neon, swirling together in a piercing hue of evergreen and dark blues.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Instead, watching Charles attempt to insert himself into the Garfield Administration by forging papers and sneaking into buildings feels repetitive and a bit dull.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
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Their life in Watertown had been ordinary, maybe even dull sometimes.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Velardo’s whereabouts were murky when he was charged in the two investigations in March, 2013.—
Karen Wang,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But when the two leading figures behind the coup – RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in charge of the SAF – began fighting each other, the foreign powers had to choose whom to support – and their involvement became even murkier.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Rising demand for low-iron, seamless glass In the past few decades, low-iron glass, known for its colorlessness, has become the contemporary symbol of high-end architecture.—
Aki Ishida,
The Conversation,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The sky was cloudless and dark with the moon’s light now below the horizon.—
Sheeka Sanahori,
Outside,
11 Nov. 2025
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Bordered by antique wood pillar columns, the custom wood and glass front doors lead into a rotunda foyer displaying dark polished hardwood floors that run throughout the interiors.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Eliza Varadi, a pediatrician in South Carolina, told me that the murkiness around insurance coverage, coupled with lower demand, has prompted her practice to start ordering COVID vaccines just one box at a time—each a batch of 10 doses—to minimize the potential for loss.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
3 Oct. 2025
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The vessel was operating in international waters but that added to the murkiness of the legal justification.—
Emily Goodin,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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With so many comedy writers on the bill, the Broder tribute was no somber affair.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
9 Nov. 2025
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As is tradition, all the women were dressed in black ensembles to mark the somber occasion, which commemorates members of the military from Britain and the Commonwealth who have died in battle.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Those extra ingredients don’t evaporate quickly on glass and can leave frustrating streaks, cloudiness, and smudges behind.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 Nov. 2025
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Specific city forecasts show variable cloudiness, with Cleveland and Akron expected to be the most overcast.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lackluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lackluster. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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