as in listless
lacking bodily energy or motivation
he was spiritless and depressed for weeks after being fired
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Recent Examples of spiritless
The Chiefs turned that spiritless first half into a 28-7 blowout Monday night against the Commanders, opening the second half with touchdown drives of 80, 75 and 94 yards.
—
Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2025
From spiritless spirits to refusing to open up a bar tab, members of Generation Z are continuing to challenge alcohol traditions.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
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
Dance sections lacked charm; lyric passages were spiritless; the klezmer episodes in the third movement were strictly goyish.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Yet the club dropped the contest in spiritless fashion, 6-2.
—Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2023
Lil Wayne is not tolerating spiritless crowds at his shows.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 15 May 2023
Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2025
From spiritless spirits to refusing to open up a bar tab, members of Generation Z are continuing to challenge alcohol traditions.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
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
Dance sections lacked charm; lyric passages were spiritless; the klezmer episodes in the third movement were strictly goyish.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Yet the club dropped the contest in spiritless fashion, 6-2.
—Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2023
Lil Wayne is not tolerating spiritless crowds at his shows.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 15 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiritless
Adjective
-
Nikita Kucherov had three assists in a four-goal first period and added another in the third to give him 100 points on the season as the Tampa Bay Lightning cruised past the listless Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 on Saturday night.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Anyway, William chooses to remain drunk, listless, and depressed.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Simmons said Tarrant families are tired of O’Hare’s bullying, silencing and antics.—
Rachel Royster
March 5,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Mar. 2026
-
His poor metrics are the result of the Panthers looking tired and worn down in front of him, and Bobrovsky not being consistently at his absolute best.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Whitt was demanding lackadaisical players perform up-downs when Sumrall’s booming voice rang out.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The Timberwolves started 8 of 13 from 3-point range, posted a 40-point first quarter and ballooned their lead to 17 points late in the second quarter before a lackadaisical start to the second half.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Players and snaps added or lost are via the portal only (numbers do not include players lost due to exhausted eligibility or draft declarations).—
Manny Navarro,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Each diagnosis brings its own set of decisions, procedures and treatments that quite frankly leave me feeling physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted.—
L'Oreal Thompson Payton,
SELF,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But relying on the military to supplant the role traditionally performed by civilian law enforcement entails risks in a region where military institutions and oversight are weaker, armed forces have a legacy of human rights abuses and corruption is a perennial challenge.—
JOSHUA GOODMAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
-
January’s stronger-than-expected total was likely buoyed by some one-time factors (notably, weaker holiday hiring that meant fewer post-holiday layoffs, and unseasonably warm weather in the early part of the month that boosted industries like construction).—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Crafted into undone bends, the style disguises flyaways and limp ends.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2026
-
These plantain treats — bound to make French fries and onion rings turn limp and soggy with insecurity — are merely a weekly afternoon delight.—
Kalpana Mohan,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That earlier film, a languid, unsettling thriller, focused on its protagonist’s emotional breakdown during a supposedly tranquil Mediterranean vacation.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
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The second movement begins with a languid viola solo played with velvety elegance by the Philharmonic’s principal, Cynthia Phelps.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As at Ha’s Snack Bar, the food is an elegant wallop of neon flavors, foregrounding the punctilious greenness of Vietnamese herbs and the languorous funk of organ meats and offcuts, but now there’s room to breathe, to relax a little, to take it all in, to linger.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Wicker, rattan, raffia, and marble make comfortable bedfellows, and all rooms have terraces with huge daybeds for languorous post-pilates reading sessions in the sun.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spiritless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiritless. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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