spiritless
Americanadjective
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without spirit.
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without ardor, vigor, zeal, animation, etc..
a spiritless reply to criticism.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of spiritless
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.
It was a typically spiritless ending to what was, without a doubt, a memorable spree of posting.
From Slate • Sep. 3, 2025
“Normally, a Wonder set is a buoyant experience that is littered with highlights. But his festival set was mostly flat and spiritless, as if performing there was an obligation rather than a pleasure,” wrote Hunt.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2022
The welcoming environs and a sellout crowd of 20,165 seemed to invigorate the entire United States team, which was looking to bounce back from a spiritless 1-0 loss in Panama on Sunday.
From New York Times • Oct. 13, 2021
Okay, here’s some change, with a bewildering twist: In exchanging Austin Rivers and Kelly Oubre Jr. for old friend Trevor Ariza, the Wizards managed to double down on their spiritless, quarreling, underachieving core.
From Washington Post • Dec. 15, 2018
Nevertheless, mathematics is often seen as a spiritless affair.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
