anemic

American  

[uh-nee-mik] / əˈni mɪk /

Or anaemic

adjective

1. Pathology. affected with anemia; having a deficiency of the hemoglobin, often accompanied by a reduced number of red blood cells.

2. lacking power, vigor, vitality, or colorfulness; listless; weak.

   an anemic effort;

   anemic tones.

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anemic British  

/ əˈniːmɪk /

adjective

1. the usual US spelling of anaemic

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Other Word Forms

• anemically adverb
• nonanemic adjective
• pseudoanemic adjective
• unanemic adjective

Etymology

Origin of anemic

First recorded in 1830–40; anem(ia) + -ic

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.

Example Sentences

But what started as a robust pipeline to the presidency has gotten pretty anemic since then.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

Network audiences are also skipping “The Faithful,” but its sluggishness isn’t to blame for the premiere’s anemic ratings.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026

The IMF projected last year that Iran’s economy would grow by an anemic 1% in 2026, the slowest rate in the Middle East.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

The past several years of anemic housing demand called for a strategy shift.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

Blood tests revealed that I was anemic, and that my level of sodium was very high and my potassium low.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Related Words

• feeble
• frail
• sickly