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Lackluster may describe things that are dull, but the word itself is no yawn. In its earliest uses in the early 17th century, lackluster (also spelled lacklustre) usually described eyes that were dull or lacking in brightness, as in “a lackluster stare.” Later, it came to describe other things whose sheen had been removed; Charles Dickens, in his 1844 novel Martin Chuzzlewit, writes of the faded image of the dragon on the sign outside a village alehouse: “many a wintry storm of rain, snow, sleet, and hail, had changed his colour from a gaudy blue to a faint lack-lustre shade of grey.” These days lackluster is broadly used to describe anything blah, from a spiritless sensation to a humdrum hump day.
Examples of lackluster in a Sentence
Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025
While shoring up the secondary is important, Arizona's priority should arguably be to address their lackluster pass rush.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
As its bills continue to pile up, the mayor’s trust had a lackluster fundraising showing in the latest period, with only two individuals contributing a total of $2,200, according to the new disclosure.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2025
Overall, the performance of CL and KMB stocks with respect to the index has been lackluster.
—Trefis Team, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for lackluster 
Cite this Entry
“Lackluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lackluster. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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lackluster
adjective
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