listlessness

Definition of listlessnessnext
1
as in boredom
physical or mental inertness following a couple of big mistakes early in the game, the team sank into an uncharacteristic listlessness and was never able to recover the lead

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

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 listlessness The disease in deer is often characterized by progressive weight loss, stumbling, lack of coordination, listlessness, drooping ears, excessive drooling or thirst and a lack of fear of humans. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026 But while it’s bound to be emotional, this transition doesn’t have to be a time of listlessness and sadness. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 5 Mar. 2026 These signs include loss of appetite, weight loss, lack of energy, listlessness or clinginess and loss of interest in physical play. — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025 And the locker room could feel the listlessness heading into the game. — Charlotte Observer, 10 Nov. 2025 After a year of listlessness, the Democrats experienced their first major electoral string of victories on Tuesday, sweeping the Republicans in every major race. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 7 Nov. 2025 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CWD can take months to years for symptoms to appear, which could include drastic weight loss, stumbling or lack of coordination, drooling and listlessness. — Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025 In early Christian thinking, its connotations of languor and listlessness, within the spirit no less than the body, lent it the status of a sin—a turning aside from God for the sake of earthly sorrow. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025 In the second half, veteran center Garrett Bradbury sensed the Patriots offense stalling from its own listlessness. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for listlessness
Noun
  • Breaking through this boredom — especially when hosting influencers and journalists who have so often been there and done that — is perhaps easier said than done.
    — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The level of boredom Pugh brought to Kate making her older client orgasm by squeezing his nipples really sold her approach to the work.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • But hir phone and insurance expose the weakness in frictionless talk about choice.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Drug and other criminal enterprises have taken advantage of the government’s weaknesses.
    — Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • His Envita medical records from this time detail his lethargy, his cough and his precipitous drop in weight.
    — Trisha Thadani Kirsten Potter Tanya Pérez Devin Murphy, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Phrasemaking is perhaps no contribution to the intellectual heritage of the race, but phrasemakers do snap us out of lethargy, and frequently out of ingrowing pessimism, which may be worse than frenzy.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • That’s likely to inspire either affection or immediate exhaustion, depending on your fondness for the infamously disgusting performance group.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
  • This summer, news reports revealed that multiple sailors had attempted to jump overboard amid shortages of fresh food, disruptions to hot water and laundry services and exhaustion.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The Rams’ decision to arrive in Melbourne the day before the game appeared to leave them in a stupor.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Patients may experience a very high fever, headaches, neck pain, stupor, disorientation, muscle weakness and other serious symptoms.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Tactics such as ragebait have only added to the fatigue, irritating enthusiasts already frustrated by the relentless churn of slop.
    — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026
  • That kind of anecdotal genre fatigue doesn’t establish an industry surplus — but the sentiment does suggest that even devoted horror fans sometimes need help pacing themselves.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Listlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listlessness. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster