adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of anemic
Explanation
Sometimes you can tell just from looking at someone's pale face and lips that they're anemic. If you're anemic, your body has a shortage of healthy red blood cells. Often when someone's diagnosed as being anemic, they're counseled to eat more foods that contain iron, which can help rebuild the red blood cells in their body. Besides looking pale, an anemic person is often tired and weak. Another, non-medical, meaning of anemic is simply "lacking in vitality or energy." Both meanings come originally from the Greek anaimia, "lack of blood." The British spelling of anemic is anaemic.
Vocabulary lists containing anemic
The House on Mango Street
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Death of a Salesman
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
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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.
Still, Scott plays him as such an anemic, cold-blooded creep that it’s impressive “Hokum” gets us rooting for his survival when the people he’s offended would just as soon see him burned at the stake.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
Home sales, meanwhile, have been anemic in recent years, pressuring real-estate brokerages and other housing-related industries.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
That’s because companies that are aggressively repurchasing their shares can sometimes hide their anemic revenue growth, which in turn reduces the likelihood that they can significantly increase their dividends in ensuing years.
From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026
But what started as a robust pipeline to the presidency has gotten pretty anemic since then.
From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026
I kept my face neutral and gave Eleanor an anemic smile until she turned back to Anna May.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
