as in tired
lacking bodily energy or motivation
when I had the flu, I felt listless and worn-out
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of listless
There, a listless, middle-aged salaryman named Alex (played by Will Arnett) rediscovers himself as a stand-up comic.
—
David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026
Data released earlier this week further confirmed the listless state of the broader labor market.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
One was a listless, underweight female goat with no appetite.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 23 Dec. 2025
The team fell to 6-6 with the listless defeat, threatening both its playoff hopes and Tomlin’s non-losing season streak.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for listless
David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026
Data released earlier this week further confirmed the listless state of the broader labor market.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
One was a listless, underweight female goat with no appetite.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 23 Dec. 2025
The team fell to 6-6 with the listless defeat, threatening both its playoff hopes and Tomlin’s non-losing season streak.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for listless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for listless
Adjective
-
While a few icons have grown tired (like the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and Eden Roc Miami Beach, missing from this list), several have recently poured money into renovations, including the Mayfair House and Gardens; Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, which just reopened; and the Delano Miami.—
Devorah Lev-Tov,
Robb Report,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Bell remembered during the Stars on Ice tour in 2022 when the skaters rolled into a new city, tired, groggy and sore from the long bus ride, Liu, dressed in a baggy hoodie and billowing sweatpants, could go on the ice and throw perfect jumps without warning.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Chiefs turned that spiritless first half into a 28-7 blowout Monday night against the Commanders, opening the second half with touchdown drives of 80, 75 and 94 yards.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Oct. 2025
-
From spiritless spirits to refusing to open up a bar tab, members of Generation Z are continuing to challenge alcohol traditions.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But on the day the deal closed last week, Esnard sounded less jubilant and more exhausted.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Marc Maron, who helmed his engaging and transgressive interview show WTF for 13 years, is a Jersey Boy who sounds plaintive and exhausted.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Instead, viewers were faced with one of the more excruciating scenes in recent sports memory as Vonn’s body went limp while rounding one of the course’s first gates.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
If the leaves are limp, dry, wilted, or turning brown, the snake plant isn’t getting enough water.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Some regard sociology as a gut major that caters to lackadaisical students.—
Wendy Nelson Espeland,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The defense was lackadaisical at best, while the offense wasn’t much better.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Her baffling disappearance has gripped the nation, leading many Americans to question how an octogenarian leading a sleepy life in the Southwest was taken while her neighbors were asleep.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
-
In 2020, however, narcos invaded the sleepy rancho and robbed, killed and kidnapped with abandon.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Couple his extroverted on-pitch personality and his, in theory, imposing 6ft 4in (195cm) frame that can be equally languid and driving in style, Onana should have all the characteristics to play among the elite.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Through heightened control of imagery and mood, attention to composition and texture and sound, Manuel turns this simple, languid setting into something far more sinister without ever betraying the beauty of what’s onscreen.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Wicker, rattan, raffia, and marble make comfortable bedfellows, and all rooms have terraces with huge daybeds for languorous post-pilates reading sessions in the sun.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Jan. 2026
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The album took soul and gospel cues from his first record and extended them into languorous jams.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Listless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listless. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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