: characterized by lack of interest, energy, or spirit
a listless melancholy attitude
listlessly
adverb
listlessness
noun
Examples of listless in a Sentence
He became listless, answered in monosyllables, gurgled, drank a great deal of whisky, and looked with hateful eyes at everyone.
—
Isaiah Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 12 Apr. 1987
She looked up and saw everyone starting his work. She took out a piece of paper, feeling listless and bored as she did.
—Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy, 1964
His blue eyes had lost their colour; they had a listless droop; and his mouth, losing the fulness of youth, was weak and pale.
—W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, 1915
Her pretty face was wan and listless, her hair uncurled—some locks hanging lankly down, and some carelessly twisted round her head.
—Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, 1847
The heat made everyone tired and listless.
The party was a listless affair.
Isaiah Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 12 Apr. 1987
She looked up and saw everyone starting his work. She took out a piece of paper, feeling listless and bored as she did.
—Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy, 1964
His blue eyes had lost their colour; they had a listless droop; and his mouth, losing the fulness of youth, was weak and pale.
—W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, 1915
Her pretty face was wan and listless, her hair uncurled—some locks hanging lankly down, and some carelessly twisted round her head.
—Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, 1847
The heat made everyone tired and listless.
The party was a listless affair.
Recent Examples on the Web
When intentionally chosen, the right scent can even shift your mood—lifting you out of a listless haze or helping ease a frantic pace.
—Lauren Thomann, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2025
Maresca’s post-match insistence that the Frenchman’s struggles are not down to a lack of effort felt as feeble and unconvincing as the sum of his contribution over 45 listless first-half minutes.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Joonas Korpisalo bore the brunt of another listless night and made some errors of his own, stopping 31 shots.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2025
State of play: Most of those 180 minutes were improvements over than the blowout loss and listless draw from last week.
—Andrew King, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for listless
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Lauren Thomann, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2025
Maresca’s post-match insistence that the Frenchman’s struggles are not down to a lack of effort felt as feeble and unconvincing as the sum of his contribution over 45 listless first-half minutes.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Joonas Korpisalo bore the brunt of another listless night and made some errors of his own, stopping 31 shots.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2025
State of play: Most of those 180 minutes were improvements over than the blowout loss and listless draw from last week.
—Andrew King, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for listless
Cite this Entry
“Listless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/listless. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
listless
adjective
list·less
ˈlist-ləs 
: too tired or too little interested to want to do things
listlessly
adverb
listlessness
noun
Etymology
Middle English listles "having a lack of desire to act or move," from earlier list "desire, liking"
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