Definition of lassitudenext

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun lassitude contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of lassitude are languor, lethargy, stupor, and torpor. While all these words mean "physical or mental inertness," lassitude stresses listlessness or indifference resulting from fatigue or poor health.

a depression marked by lassitude

Where would languor be a reasonable alternative to lassitude?

Although the words languor and lassitude have much in common, languor suggests inertia induced by an enervating climate or illness or love.

languor induced by a tropical vacation

When could lethargy be used to replace lassitude?

The words lethargy and lassitude can be used in similar contexts, but lethargy implies such drowsiness or aversion to activity as is induced by disease, injury, or drugs.

months of lethargy followed my accident

When might stupor be a better fit than lassitude?

While the synonyms stupor and lassitude are close in meaning, stupor implies a deadening of the mind and senses by shock, narcotics, or intoxicants.

lapsed into an alcoholic stupor

When would torpor be a good substitute for lassitude?

In some situations, the words torpor and lassitude are roughly equivalent. However, torpor implies a state of suspended animation as of hibernating animals but may suggest merely extreme sluggishness.

a once alert mind now in a torpor

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lassitude The result of this lassitude is that cars still rule the streets. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 18 Apr. 2025 Wakefield-Scurr’s discoveries have helped rupture the long-standing lassitude. Megan Feringa, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025 But the opinion, written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., went way further than necessary to insulate Trump from prosecution — not simply before the election, which the court, by its lassitude, had nearly guaranteed, but forever, even in the event that President Biden wins reelection. Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, 1 July 2024 After so many episodes, there is no lassitude and the Mbappé saga continues to enliven conversations in France’s sports bars. Samuel Petrequin, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024 See All Example Sentences for lassitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lassitude
Noun
  • My own experience with night pests was at a time of utter exhaustion— too much work undertaken, interlocking circumstances that made the work twice as arduous, illness within and around— the old story of troubles never coming singly.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Prolonged war and psychological exhaustion are already creating strain even among those united in their desire for regime change.
    Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Experiment with different seasonings to minimize boredom and flavor fatigue.
    Amy Brownstein, Verywell Health, 3 Mar. 2026
  • As a result, the remote operators experience extreme swings in workload: sometimes overwhelming intensity, sometimes crushing boredom.
    Missy Cummings, IEEE Spectrum, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Your intensity works best when sustained by practical habits that reduce decision fatigue.
    Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Nick Pivetta, the Padres’ presumptive opening-day starter, is being given extra rest between starts due to what is described as arm fatigue.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In other calls, medical staff asked for ambulances for a 6-year-old boy with lethargy and a high fever, a 14-month-old in respiratory distress, and a 22-month-old with a fever and low oxygen levels.
    Laura Romero, ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
  • Severe dehydration follows, evident in lethargy, dry mouth and lips, doughy skin and weak cries.
    Dr. Rahul K. Parikh, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • That’s not to say there isn’t a company-wide stupor after last week’s bombshells.
    Michael Schneider, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
  • That’s perfectly satisfying for the lizard brain, but the attentive listener may long for the occasional act two to lift Evaporator out of its honeyed electronic stupor and toss a touch of sand in the gears.
    Ben Cardew, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • As the camera glides in and around a roller-skating rink, where much of the action takes place, Decker and Shlesinger achieve and sustain a terrific balance of comic velocity and erotic languor.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Breaking Bad took place in the languor of suburbia and Better Call Saul in the corrupt organs of the legal system, but Vince Gilligan’s latest show Pluribus makes a home out of the stranger substrate of speculative sci-fi.
    Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Lassitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lassitude. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.

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