as in dulled
not having brightness, brilliance, or vitality
a lackluster, dingy Main Street a lackluster performance His writing can be lackluster at times.
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Dissimilar Words
as in grayness
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lackluster
Sean Gentille, New York Times, 14 May 2026
For all the hullabaloo, some of the most provocative pavilions were also the most lackluster, inadvertently making way for exhibitions elsewhere to shine.
—Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
Though some reviews, including Deadline’s, have been lackluster, the film is a hit with audiences at both the box office and in the court of public opinion.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 May 2026
Minorities’ limited participation is due primarily to researchers’ lackluster outreach efforts and minorities’ deeply rooted mistrust of research and the medical establishment.
—Jerel Ezell, STAT, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lackluster
Adjective
Those losses were a precursor to a lackluster 2025-26 season that ended with a first-round series loss to the Anaheim Ducks in six games.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 14 May 2026
For all the hullabaloo, some of the most provocative pavilions were also the most lackluster, inadvertently making way for exhibitions elsewhere to shine.
—Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
Though some reviews, including Deadline’s, have been lackluster, the film is a hit with audiences at both the box office and in the court of public opinion.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 May 2026
Minorities’ limited participation is due primarily to researchers’ lackluster outreach efforts and minorities’ deeply rooted mistrust of research and the medical establishment.
—Jerel Ezell, STAT, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lackluster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lackluster
Noun
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Shraya seems to find comfort within this grayness, and in the autonomy that comes from shifting the question from who is good and who is bad to who is good for me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
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The region’s oft-sung-about grayness turns neon, swirling together in a piercing hue of evergreen and dark blues.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The world of college football is rarely dull.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
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This charger brings interactivity and enthusiasm to this process that has been viewed as so dull for so long.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Some of the symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia include fatigue, weakness and paleness.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
4 Feb. 2026
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Other symptoms include fatigue, dizziness, paleness, and a rapid heart rate.—
Peter Pressman,
Verywell Health,
9 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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But first, the imager will scout the asteroid’s immediate neighborhood to check for any moonlets that could pose hazards to the spacecraft or offer clues to the space rock’s murky past.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
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Details of their final days remain murky.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Rising demand for low-iron, seamless glass In the past few decades, low-iron glass, known for its colorlessness, has become the contemporary symbol of high-end architecture.—
Aki Ishida,
The Conversation,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Baha Mar is large in stature, sure—and Rosewood is part of a three-hotel complex across the bay from Atlantis, which looms large and brooding over its own end of the water as everything Baha Mar does not want to be—dated, dark, and reminiscent of Spring Break Past.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 May 2026
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Also fascinating were their contrasting likenesses, dark against light housed in the same being, a human eclipse.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Noun
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As Raul grapples with telling the story of Elsa’s life, he’s confronted by the murkiness of borrowing from real people for the purposes of fiction.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
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After Daniel Jones tore his ACL late last season, the quarterback position has some murkiness for the Colts entering 2026.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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The Atlanta Braves are back home Tuesday night for their game against the Chicago Cubs, but there will be a somber energy as fans fill seats in Truist Park.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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Despite the somber mood, some trustees were not convinced that their fate was sealed.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lackluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lackluster. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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