Did you know?
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
Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 19 Mar. 2025
Canada improved to fifth overall, just a point behind the Season 4 champions from Spain, who had a lackluster weekend.
—Andrew Rice, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
But those attempts have been met with, at best, lackluster participation, and at worst, ridicule from Republican campaign arms and the White House itself.
—Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Mar. 2025
But even after a breakout minor league season and unexpected hype from prospects boards, Flores is still fueled by his lackluster pedigree.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 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 28 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lackluster
adjective
Share