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
Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
Hamilton has been outqualified by Leclerc this season, continuing a concerning trend of lackluster pace showings.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
Despite having an Oscar-winning director in Ron Howard and a starry cast of Sweeney, Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby and Ana de Armas, last year’s Eden at TIFF received lackluster reviews, which slowed the pic’s path to finding a distribution home.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
The lackluster features have prompted false advertising lawsuits, and Apple has reportedly explored using the AI models of rival companies like OpenAI or Anthropic.
—Emily Forlini, PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lackluster
Noun
The Rockies’ embattled left-hander tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts over eight shutout innings, Nick Pivetta wasn’t quite good enough in his best start yet at Coors Field and a 3-0 blanking sent a lackluster Padres to a fifth straight loss on Friday to start this three-game trip.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
Hamilton has been outqualified by Leclerc this season, continuing a concerning trend of lackluster pace showings.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
Despite having an Oscar-winning director in Ron Howard and a starry cast of Sweeney, Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby and Ana de Armas, last year’s Eden at TIFF received lackluster reviews, which slowed the pic’s path to finding a distribution home.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
The lackluster features have prompted false advertising lawsuits, and Apple has reportedly explored using the AI models of rival companies like OpenAI or Anthropic.
—Emily Forlini, PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lackluster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lackluster
Adjective
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Horror of this scale has the effect of deadening words, making stories of the most unimaginable violence land with a dull thud.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
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The water wasn’t quite as hot as the Braun, and the coffee was just a hair duller in taste.—
Noah Kaufman,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Gray tones, blacks, murky greens, and of course, the midnight blue complete the look.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
6 Sep. 2025
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But after that, things get murky.—
Sarah Hutter,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Kraus also had a dark backpack on her person.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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Lakshmi shared a photo and video of herself at the beach wearing a dark pink bikini while playing in the water.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Many technological challenges abound in the murkiness of natural language chatting.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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All of this speaks to overall murkiness around metrics in the fast-growing industry and the possibility that they might be manipulated.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Chapple, the late Queen’s beekeeper, went first to Clarence House and then Buckingham Palace to perform his somber duty of telling the bees, a centuries-old custom of informing the bees when their owner has died.—
Elizabeth Bass Parman,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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News voices in the 1970's tended to be somber, accent-less, and almost exclusively male.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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At times, Sunflower County Justice Court Judge Lisa Bell seemed bewildered as other LSSC members described the cloudiness of the endeavor.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Though Brezavscek says anyone noticing dryness or dullness, or looking for a gentle, yet effective product post-treatment—think microneedling, laser, or Botox—can benefit from this serum, those interested in more intensive repair might appreciate the brand’s new 3xGF Serum instead.—
Arden Fanning Andrews,
Vogue,
29 Aug. 2025
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Targeting skin barrier vitality above all, Cloud Cushion works to prevent the dullness that can occur from dehydration and improve brightness over time.—
Essence,
Essence,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The AfD became Germany’s second most popular party in federal elections earlier this year, reflecting a precipitous rise from obscurity since its founding in 2013.—
Sebastian Shukla,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
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His journey from Cleveland Heights, Ohio to eventually Canton, Ohio — from obscurity to international fame and a romance woven into American culture — came thisclose to never happening.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lackluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lackluster. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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