Listless

//ˈlɪstlɪs// adj

adj ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Lacking energy, enthusiasm, or liveliness.

    "I passed whole days on the lake alone in a little boat, watching the clouds, and listening to the rippling of the waves, silent and listless."

Adjective
  1. 1
    lacking zest or vivacity wordnet
  2. 2
    marked by low spirits; showing no enthusiasm wordnet

Example

More examples

"I feel listless and have a throbbing headache."

Etymology

From Middle English lystles, equivalent to list (“desire”) + -less. Compare German lustlos and Dutch lusteloos (“lethargic, listless”). Doublet of lustless.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.