: characterized by lack of interest, energy, or spirit
a listless melancholy attitude
listlessly
adverb
listlessness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of listless in a Sentence
He became listless, answered in monosyllables, gurgled, drank a great deal of whisky, and looked with hateful eyes at everyone.
—
Isaiah Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 12 Apr. 1987
She looked up and saw everyone starting his work. She took out a piece of paper, feeling listless and bored as she did.
—Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy, 1964
His blue eyes had lost their colour; they had a listless droop; and his mouth, losing the fulness of youth, was weak and pale.
—W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, 1915
Her pretty face was wan and listless, her hair uncurled—some locks hanging lankly down, and some carelessly twisted round her head.
—Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, 1847
The heat made everyone tired and listless.
The party was a listless affair.
Isaiah Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 12 Apr. 1987
She looked up and saw everyone starting his work. She took out a piece of paper, feeling listless and bored as she did.
—Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy, 1964
His blue eyes had lost their colour; they had a listless droop; and his mouth, losing the fulness of youth, was weak and pale.
—W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, 1915
Her pretty face was wan and listless, her hair uncurled—some locks hanging lankly down, and some carelessly twisted round her head.
—Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, 1847
The heat made everyone tired and listless.
The party was a listless affair.
Recent Examples on the Web
So the result was little to no exposure to shares in pension funds, so less pension returns for the people and a listless, soggy stock market with a major flow of funds redirected away from economy growing capital formation for enterprise and into government overspending.
—Clem Chambers, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
By pushing through a stretch of listless loneliness and embracing my fears, this midlife crisis ended up blooming into a midlife renaissance.
—Tara Ellison, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024
The story of the listless Benjamin Braddock, recent college graduate who begins an affair with his father’s partner’s wife, and ends up falling for her daughter, did more to advance the critical value of comedy than perhaps any other film.
—Vogue, 10 Sep. 2024
The 38-year-old veteran completed just 4 of 12 passes for 62 yards with zero touchdowns in a listless first half of offense.
—Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 10 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for listless 
Clem Chambers, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
By pushing through a stretch of listless loneliness and embracing my fears, this midlife crisis ended up blooming into a midlife renaissance.
—Tara Ellison, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024
The story of the listless Benjamin Braddock, recent college graduate who begins an affair with his father’s partner’s wife, and ends up falling for her daughter, did more to advance the critical value of comedy than perhaps any other film.
—Vogue, 10 Sep. 2024
The 38-year-old veteran completed just 4 of 12 passes for 62 yards with zero touchdowns in a listless first half of offense.
—Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 10 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for listless
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'listless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near listless
Cite this Entry
“Listless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/listless. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
listless
adjective
list·less
ˈlist-ləs 
: too tired or too little interested to want to do things
listlessly
adverb
listlessness
noun
Etymology
Middle English listles "having a lack of desire to act or move," from earlier list "desire, liking"
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