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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in restlessness
the state of being bored
we searched desperately for something to jar us out of our listlessness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in weakness
the quality or state of lacking physical strength or vigor
general listlessness is often a side effect of chemotherapy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of listlessness
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
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
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Pets staying at home alone while owners work suffer from boredom, which can cause chronic psychological distress and health problems.—
Margret Grebowicz,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
-
But the flip side of such routine is the potential for boredom and lethargy.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But some analysts say Iran's unprecedented weakness at home could diminish the flexibility of its country's leadership to make the kinds of compromises necessary for a deal.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
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But ask anyone who knows him about Kuechly’s weaknesses, and the first thing that might come up is his deflection of praise.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But the flip side of such routine is the potential for boredom and lethargy.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
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Emery’s side appeared strangely leggy, as if having a week between games caused more lethargy than looking well-rested.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Combining heavy amounts of alcohol on top of exhaustion and a lack of food, Sullivan blacked out.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
16 Feb. 2026
-
In Worcester, which lay more than 40 miles from the Charlestown line, a parched and dusty rider arrived at the square in front of the church, where his horse collapsed in exhaustion.—
Kostya Kennedy,
Time,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Last year, many were convinced American politics would be destabilized by videos manipulated by artificial intelligence, or lulled into a post-truth stupor by AI slop.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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Spotlight The Welcome Demise of Climate Change Catastrophism Is the American Left finally waking up from its decades-long climate catastrophism stupor?—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Some of those benefits are reduction in swelling and inflammation, pain relief, lowering of stress levels and fatigue.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
14 Feb. 2026
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Valvular heart disease, in which one more of the heart's valves don't function properly, can make the heart work harder and, over time, lead to conditions like chest pain, fatigue, and shortness of breath.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Listlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listlessness. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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