listless
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See indifference.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of listless
First recorded in 1400–50, listless is from the late Middle English word lystles. See list 4, -less
Explanation
To be listless is to be lethargic, low spirited, and limp. If a fever has made you feel listless, you might also feel like you are melting into the sofa. If you went to the supermarket without your shopping list, that doesn't mean you're listless. The word originates from the Middle English word liste which meant "desire" (and is related to our word lust). Oddly enough, listen comes from the same origin. If you're too lethargic and out of it to listen, you're listless. It's not just laziness, it's not just fatigue; an utter indifference to whatever is going on around you makes you listless.
Vocabulary lists containing listless
Emotions on Display
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List 8
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Hamilton
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Georgia Bernstein’s alluringly listless “Night Nurse,” something is afoot at a luxury retirement community.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Christina Applegate is where she spent many listless, painful nights over the last year working on her memoir: in bed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026
The opening ballad, “Risk It All,” is pretty but listless, with Mr. Mars singing over a gently plucked nylon-string guitar until a relaxed syncopated groove folds in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
The All Blacks put in a curiously listless performance and subsequently sacked head coach Brett Robertson.
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026
We stood listless upon the deck of our sloop-of-war, with no employment but to observe the rout.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
