Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective listless differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of listless are lackadaisical, languid, languorous, and spiritless. While all these words mean "lacking energy or enthusiasm," listless suggests a lack of interest caused by physical weakness or dissatisfied boredom.

listless hospital patients
listless children flipping through picture books on a rainy day

When can lackadaisical be used instead of listless?

While the synonyms lackadaisical and listless are close in meaning, lackadaisical implies a carefree indifference marked by half-hearted efforts.

lackadaisical college seniors pretending to study

When might languid be a better fit than listless?

The words languid and listless are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, languid refers to an unwillingness or inability to exert oneself due to fatigue or physical weakness.

was depressed and languid for weeks after surgery

When is it sensible to use languorous instead of listless?

The words languorous and listless can be used in similar contexts, but languorous suggests a dreamy boredom and delicacy that avoids unnecessary activity.

languorous cats lying in the sun

When would spiritless be a good substitute for listless?

Although the words spiritless and listless have much in common, spiritless refers to a lack of animation or vigor that gives one's actions and words life.

a spiritless recital of the poem

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of listless The animals found onshore in recent days – many in good body shape and pregnant, rescuers said – are seizing and acting listless or unresponsive, even when people are close by. Erika I. Ritchie, Orange County Register, 28 Feb. 2025 The simplistic messaging wouldn’t matter as much if the show compensated for it with a strong creative offense, but the new Netflix comedy — inspired by the story of Los Angeles Lakers president and owner Jeanie Buss — is puzzlingly listless. EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025 The result — final scores crept into the 200s during what were essentially listless scrimmages (last year's final tally was 211-186). Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025 Looking Ahead: After looking listless and broken for almost all of calendar year 2025, Cincinnati has ripped off a three-game winning streak to resuscitate its at-large hopes. Jim Root, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for listless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for listless
Adjective
  • Here is a puzzle that should bring back memories for many solvers: settling down into a spacious middle seat, groping for seatbelts, suffering through the same tired safety notices.
    Sam Corbin, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2025
  • In their best offensive performance of the season against an admittedly tired and overmatched opponent, the Warriors had season highs in points and assists (42) and committed only 13 turnovers.
    Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
Adjective
  • Across industries, burnout and disengagement have become the defining crises of the modern workforce, leaving leaders and employees alike wondering: why is everyone so exhausted?
    Patricia Grabarek and Katina Sawyer, TIME, 25 Mar. 2025
  • While primarily measured in his actions, Cromwell is outwardly exhausted.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • There’s a scene near the limp climax of Barry Levinson’s utterly somnambulant The Alto Knights in which Vito Genovese (De Niro) argues violently with his meathead driver and muscle Vincent Gigante (Cosmo Jarvis) about whether or not Palmyra, NY is the birthplace of Mormonism.
    Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Flagg walked without a major limp or protective boot during Friday’s game.
    Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • However, the Knicks’ lackadaisical defense to start the game bit them in the end, as the Spurs’ Sandro Mamukelashvili hit more 3s than vowels in his last name.
    James L. Edwards III, The Athletic, 20 Mar. 2025
  • As the netminder made his lackadaisical way back into into his crease, Kastelic fired it toward the net.
    Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • It is situated next to a sleepy mobile home park, some single-family home neighborhoods and the park.
    Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
  • This delicious sleep aid comes in five different flavors: mint chocolate, hot cocoa, cinnamon chai, sleepy berry and rose.
    Bianca Salonga, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Enjoy a languid afternoon in the outdoor bathtub situated beneath a canopy of trees.
    Elise Taylor, Vogue, 22 Mar. 2025
  • For the first time since 1986, St. John’s won both the Big East regular and conference tournament championships; the Red Storm packed Madison Square Garden all season and brought pizazz back to a New York City college basketball scene that felt languid for decades.
    Sean Gregory, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Steeped in the pleasantly lazy atmosphere of the title setting, the film is languorous, but not long.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Listless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listless. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.

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