listless 1 of 2

listlessness

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noun

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

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 listless
Adjective
There are no darker days in a season than the ones that see relegation confirmed and for Southampton, listless for so much of this Premier League campaign, the moment arrived on Sunday. Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025 When intentionally chosen, the right scent can even shift your mood—lifting you out of a listless haze or helping ease a frantic pace. Lauren Thomann, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2025 Maresca’s post-match insistence that the Frenchman’s struggles are not down to a lack of effort felt as feeble and unconvincing as the sum of his contribution over 45 listless first-half minutes. Liam Twomey, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025 Joonas Korpisalo bore the brunt of another listless night and made some errors of his own, stopping 31 shots. Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for listless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for listless
Adjective
  • While infants and toddlers between the ages of 0 to 2 years are more likely to experience a stuffy nose, cough, poor appetite, fussiness, and sleep problems, children between the ages of 3 to 5 years mainly complain of sleepiness, feeling tired during daytime, low energy and dry cough.
    Anuradha Varanasi, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • Family members said Jacobs had talked about feeling tired, but not about wanting to take his own life.
    Ames Alexander, Charlotte Observer, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • Interestingly, this connection between boredom and satisfaction wasn’t linked to relationship conflicts or tension, meaning boredom alone can weaken a relationship over time.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
  • Rather than rising up and killing its former masters, Murderbot just goes about performing its security work, relieving the boredom by watching a lot of entertainment media; its favorite is a soap opera called The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • One weakness in Capture One's utility as a workflow solution has been its lack of sharing to established online photo venues, but there's a ray of light on this count.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 28 May 2025
  • While the dollar strengthened for the second day on Wednesday, Jefferies thinks the greenback could be in for an extended period of weakness.
    Michelle Fox, CNBC, 28 May 2025
Adjective
  • The Senators looked spiritless days ago in their building Saturday night ahead of Game 4.
    Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Amid the spiritless spirits and a bevy of alcohol-free wines, ciders, and beers, luxury sparkling teas are comfortably the most exciting emerging trend in the low and no-alcohol sphere.
    Camille Berry, Vogue, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • More severe cases of salmonellosis may include a high fever, aches, headaches, lethargy, a rash, blood in the urine or stool, and in some cases may become fatal.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
  • Signs that your pup may be unwell include significant weight loss; chronic vomiting or diarrhea; weakness and lethargy, says Knutsford Veterinary Surgery on its website.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Trade timing The timing for adding bearish exposure to DE is optimal, as the stock has reached a recent all-time high and is showing signs of exhaustion with bearish divergence on the weekly RSI.
    Tony Zhang, CNBC, 21 May 2025
  • And his aesthetic keeps pace with Brendan Mills’ excellent editing, in changing mood from the jittery, quick-cut, handheld first half to a steadier, more contemplative last act as Lu’s treks across the boroughs become longer and slower and exhaustion begins to set in.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 21 May 2025
Adjective
  • Some of them wanted to dance, some spent time with their families, others just looked exhausted.
    Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 22 May 2025
  • But now, a quieter trend is taking hold in exhausted households nationwide: revenge meals.
    Christine Michel Carter, Parents, 20 May 2025
Noun
  • Hours later, as the commanders slept at home in a medicated stupor, the handmaids spread out all over with the intent of killing Gilead’s leaders in their sleep.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 16 May 2025
  • Drugs either didn’t work or put him in a severe stupor.
    Kayana Szymczak For The New York Times, New York Times, 13 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Listless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listless. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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