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
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
The studio setup looks familiar, but the operation itself is spiritless, bearing more resemblance to CNBC’s coverage of the stock market than to the typical sports show, whose belligerent repartee is familiar to anyone who has ever watched a game with friends.
—New York Times, 27 Apr. 2022
That hotel, which opened about a year ago, serves a drink called a Bee’s Knees with a Twist, which costs $19 and includes spiritless gin, lime and honey (cocktails with alcohol range from $21 to $28).
—Alyson Krueger, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023
Hampered by a spare and spiritless screenplay, Smith gives a performance marked by facial expressions, physical movement and a Haitian accent that struggles to shake its studied quality.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2022
This coming holiday season, many glasses raised in Hollywood may be filled with spiritless spirits.
—Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Nov. 2022
Fall menu items include libations like the Hummingbird with tennyson black ginger and the Devil Mountain with a spiritless Kentucky 74.
—Amelia Arvesen, Outside Online, 26 Oct. 2022
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
The studio setup looks familiar, but the operation itself is spiritless, bearing more resemblance to CNBC’s coverage of the stock market than to the typical sports show, whose belligerent repartee is familiar to anyone who has ever watched a game with friends.
—New York Times, 27 Apr. 2022
That hotel, which opened about a year ago, serves a drink called a Bee’s Knees with a Twist, which costs $19 and includes spiritless gin, lime and honey (cocktails with alcohol range from $21 to $28).
—Alyson Krueger, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023
Hampered by a spare and spiritless screenplay, Smith gives a performance marked by facial expressions, physical movement and a Haitian accent that struggles to shake its studied quality.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2022
This coming holiday season, many glasses raised in Hollywood may be filled with spiritless spirits.
—Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Nov. 2022
Fall menu items include libations like the Hummingbird with tennyson black ginger and the Devil Mountain with a spiritless Kentucky 74.
—Amelia Arvesen, Outside Online, 26 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiritless
Adjective
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That created a quick and competitive environment that eliminated a lot of the listless play that has plagued All-Star weekend over the past decade.—
Jared Weiss,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
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Rebecca, the listless protagonist of Katarina Zhu’s feature debut Bunnylovr, wears loneliness like an oversized coat.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The Hollywood Reporter,
26 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
In the skincare world, the best retinol serums are put on a pedestal, touted for their ability to breathe new life into tired, aging skin.—
Denise Primbet,
Glamour,
24 Feb. 2025
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Research has also found long-term exposure can result in anemia, which can leave patients feeling weak and tired; a low white blood cell count, which debilitates the immune system; and a low platelet count, which leads to excessive bleeding and bruising.—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Pitino laid into his team after the Providence game for lackadaisical defense in the second half as the Red Storm relinquished a 19-point lead before Richmond’s late-game heroics.—
Ralph D. Russo,
The Athletic,
5 Feb. 2025
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Turmoil and lackadaisical effort created a negative narrative around the team.—
Ryan Gaydos,
Fox News,
6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Everyone is exhausted and tapped out financially from the holidays and nobody wants to party or buy gifts.—
Wendy Wisner,
Parents,
17 Feb. 2025
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The 50-year-old retired cop is thirsty and exhausted, and his attempts to spark a campfire using a ferro rod have failed miserably.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside Online,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Salesforce shares fell in extended trading Wednesday on mixed quarterly results and weak guidance.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2025
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There aren’t enough affordable ones and the charging infrastructure is weak.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The dissuading a witness charge against the father stems from what the prosecution said allegedly happened after the boy stopped breathing and his mother carried his limp body upstairs.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacramento Bee,
28 Feb. 2025
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At 61, Moyes is the oldest manager in the division by some distance, and after a limp 0-1 home defeat to Aston Villa in his first game, the Scotsman appeared to have a slightly more sober take on the task at hand.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This more logistical plot thread proves surprisingly languid for a such a nanoscopic feature, but Kang plays with its withdrawn qualities in fascinating ways.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Martin, ever elegant but rarely a wildly expressive actor, could perhaps do with showing a bit more emotional urgency here to sharpen the interplay with Tom, especially in this naturally languid seaside backdrop.—
Nicolas Rapold,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Such languorous scenes led one of my friends, a seasoned war reporter, to remark that the film was short on action, and its pace is undeniably slower than the typical war documentary.—
Simon Shuster,
TIME,
14 Feb. 2025
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Steeped in the pleasantly lazy atmosphere of the title setting, the film is languorous, but not long.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
25 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spiritless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiritless. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
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