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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
Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
As a result, the season’s profits are $425, despite the lackluster record for winners.
—Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
One editor called it a little lackluster, despite being decently creamy.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 15 May 2026
The crop this year is kind of lackluster in my eyes.
—Charlie Harding, Vulture, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lackluster
Cite this Entry
“Lackluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lackluster. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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lackluster
adjective
