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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
Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 5 Mar. 2025
The casualness of these arrangements, and the lack of standards, can lead to disappointment—and little recourse—when people pay hundreds for coaching that turns out to be lackluster.
—Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2025
The market was slow for Pivetta following a lackluster season and having draft pick compensation attached to him because of the QO.
—John Perrotto, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
The lackluster release drew anger from both sides of the aisle, including Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who slammed the DOJ on X, formerly Twitter.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 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 13 Mar. 2025.
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lackluster
adjective
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