lifeless

adjective

life·​less ˈlīf-ləs 

: having no life:

a

: dead

b

: inanimate

c

: lacking qualities expressive of life and vigor : insipid

d

: destitute of living beings

lifelessly adverb

lifelessness noun

Synonyms

• asleep
• breathless
• cold
• dead
• deceased
• defunct
• demised
• departed
• fallen
• gone
• late
• low

Examples of lifeless in a Sentence

a cold and lifeless landscape

The book's plot was lifeless and predictable.

Recent Examples on the Web

After an all-out war between Jacob and his enemies, scores of lifeless bodies are left on the platform in a win for the current and future Duttons, including that of Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn). —Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 6 Apr. 2025

That renders every emotional moment (what made the original Lion King so terrific) utterly lifeless. —Barry Levitt, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025

At this time—in the Ediacaran Period—the land was overwhelmingly barren and lifeless; although shallow seas played host to an array of strange, soft bodied creatures. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

But three weeks before graduation, someone kidnapped Pereda, tortured him and dumped his lifeless body on the side of a remote road next to a sugar cane field in the Dominican Republic. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lifeless

adjective

life·​less ˈlī-fləs 

: having no life

lifelessly adverb

lifelessness noun