as in tired
lacking bodily energy or motivation
when I had the flu, I felt listless and worn-out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Andrew King, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
The Nuggets were often listless defensively.
—Sam Amick, New York Times, 10 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
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
See All Example Sentences for listless
Adjective
State of play: Most of those 180 minutes were improvements over than the blowout loss and listless draw from last week.
—Andrew King, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
The Nuggets were often listless defensively.
—Sam Amick, New York Times, 10 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
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
See All Example Sentences for listless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for listless
Adjective
-
But people here are tired of seeing Farmington in the headlines as a town that's losing population.—
Kirk Siegler,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2025
-
And there’s kids who are tired, or crying or can’t handle it.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Some people snack at night to cope with stress, boredom, or sadness.—
Johna Burdeos,
Health,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Quotidian excursions to the post office or the bank can create valuable opportunities for boredom, too.—
The Learning Network,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
During periods of economic weakness when lending activity slows, consumers with high credit scores sometimes can take advantage of attractive offers.—
Russ Wiles,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
-
This move addresses one ongoing weakness with Bluesky: knowing who is real.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
21 Apr. 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
-
Some of these symptoms include a high fever, lethargy, hearing loss, kidney failure, confusion, brain damage, learning disabilities, coma and possibly death.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Common symptoms for domoic acid poisoning include lethargy, seizures, a bobbing and weaving of their heads and in some cases, aggression, Viezbicke said.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Overtraining can lead to mental exhaustion and burnout.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
-
The specific exhaustion of being a mother By Olga Khazan Subscribe to Listen1.0x 0:009:47 Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (Noa) using AI narration.—
Olga Khazan,
The Atlantic,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This is why people often feel exhausted after a day filled with interruptions, even if the total workload was manageable.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
-
King Charles can't get involved in Prince Harry's security woes: author Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of ‘My Mother and I,’ explains why the monarch is too exhausted to deal with his younger son’s ongoing court battle.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Maryland, which trailed 20-9 midway through the first half, stumbled out of its early stupor and went on a 7-0 run to get back in the game.—
Christian Babcock,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2025
-
German movies of the 1970s will forever be linked with the New German Cinema movement, the auteur directors — led by the likes of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Margarethe von Trotta and Volker Schlöndorff — who shook the country out of its postwar stupor.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Listless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listless. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share