lifeless
Americanadjective
-
not endowed with life; having no life; inanimate.
lifeless matter.
- Synonyms:
- inorganic
- Antonyms:
- living
-
destitute of living things.
a lifeless planet.
-
deprived of life; dead.
a battlefield strewn with lifeless bodies.
- Synonyms:
- defunct
- Antonyms:
- living
-
without animation, liveliness, or spirit; dull; colorless; torpid.
a lifeless performance of a play.
- Synonyms:
- spiritless, sluggish, passive, inert, inactive
- Antonyms:
- lively
-
insensible, as a person who has fainted.
adjective
-
without life; inanimate; dead
-
not sustaining living organisms
-
having no vitality or animation
-
unconscious
Related Words
See dead.
Other Word Forms
- lifelessly adverb
- lifelessness noun
Etymology
Origin of lifeless
before 1000; Middle English lifles, Old English līflēas. See life, -less
Explanation
Someone who's lifeless has died. Your lifeless house plant probably got that way because you forgot to water it. You can use the adjective lifeless to describe once-living things, like people, animals, and plants, and you can also use it for objects that appear inert: "The creepy thing about that painting is the clown's lifeless eyes." Things that are duller or droopier than they should be are also lifeless, like your lifeless hair or a writer's lifeless prose. Less common is using lifeless to mean "with no living things," like the lifeless planet Venus.
Vocabulary lists containing lifeless
Boring
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Empty
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
After a lifeless stare, the chatbot smiles and says, “Now that is an awesome idea, Jesse!”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
To him those relics are akin to looking at a collection of lifeless butterflies preserved in a box.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026
Early primary coverage feels so distant with its talk of endorsements, “war chests,” and other lifeless stats.
From Slate • Feb. 7, 2026
Even if future evidence shows that Europa's ocean is lifeless today, Byrne says the effort will still be worthwhile.
From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026
A white, lifeless human face stared back up at her, and Natalie screamed.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
