listless
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See indifference.
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
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
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
Raducanu suffered a listless second-round exit at January's Australian Open and subsequently split with coach Francisco Roig.
From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026
The market’s listless days may be over now.
From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026
There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
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.
