lassitude
Americannoun
-
weariness of body or mind from strain, oppressive climate, etc.; lack of energy; listlessness; languor.
It was yet another day of extreme heat and lassitude.
-
a condition of lazy indifference.
Democracy is hard work, and demands that citizens not drift into lassitude.
noun
Etymology
Origin of lassitude
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin lassitūdō “weariness,” equivalent to lass(us) “weary” + -i- connecting vowel + -tūdō noun suffix; see -i-, -tude
Explanation
If you are feeling lassitude, you're weary and just can't be bothered. Couch potatoes make lassitude into an art form. Lassitude might sound like latitude, but the two words don't mean the same thing. Latitude describes the distance of a particular location from the equator. Lassitude is the weariness you'd experience after attempting to run a marathon around the equator. Lassitude can also describe a lack of interest, like deciding you'd rather lie on your couch than run that marathon along the equator.
Vocabulary lists containing lassitude
Frankenstein
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The Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer
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1984
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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.
Frustrated with himself, and with Krantz, McCarthy scribbled on a draft page, “mild horror, creeping bibliophobia, locomotor ataxia, / general lassitude and despondency.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
In a 1936 speech to young people, President Franklin Roosevelt, dismissing experts proclaiming 1930s youth as “lost” to anxiety, depression and lassitude, declared that young people were right to be unhappy.
From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2024
Some historians speculated that the 19th century’s fin de siècle might actually have been lassitude caused by sequelae of the Russian flu.
From New York Times ● Feb. 14, 2022
It’s also inevitable that some day soon the U.S. will play an opponent able to seize on its mid-game lassitude and ram a couple of quick goals home.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2021
Obinze stood by the sink holding his phone, that drained lassitude spreading over him again.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
