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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
Kansas City Star, 29 July 2025
But overall, there is no denying Mitchell has delivered a lackluster camp so far.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 28 July 2025
The housing market is traditionally busiest in spring, but this year’s key buying season proved lackluster.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 28 July 2025
But many police departments in the state, including Austin, have faced accusations of lackluster internal investigations and lax discipline that lets officers off the hook with little accountability.
—Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 26 July 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 3 Aug. 2025.
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lackluster
adjective
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