Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Lacking energy or disinclined to exert effort; lethargic: reacted to the latest crisis with listless resignation.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Indifferent to or taking no interest in what happens about one; languid and unheeding: as, a listless hearer or spectator.
- Marked by languid inactivity; manifesting relaxed attention; inanimate: as, a listless attitude.
- Synonyms Listless, Careless, Supine, Indolent. The listless and the careless do not care or desire; the supine and the indolent do not care enough to conquer their shrinking from activity or work. The words may all indicate a temporary state or a permanent element of character; indolent generally indicates the latter. (See idle.) Careless is not caring; supine is literally lying flat on one's back, not rousing one's self at all, ignobly indifferent; listless, indifferent and languid. Listless does not necessarily imply blame.
Wiktionary
- adj. Lacking energy, enthusiasm or liveliness.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Having no desire or inclination; indifferent; heedless; spiritless.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. marked by low spirits; showing no enthusiasm
- adj. lacking zest or vivacity
Etymologies
- Middle English listles : probably from liste, desire (from listen, to desire; see list5) + -les, -lesse, -less.
Examples
“After some days spent in listless indolence, during which I traversed many leagues,”
“But he grew up, I think, with -- I don't want to use the word listless; I'm very careful -- with a sense of following in the family footsteps to some extent, but not in the political vein.”
CNN Transcript - Larry King Live: Peter Jennings Discusses 'Family Business' - September 14, 2000
“Since I arrived not a leaf has stirred, not a bird has sung, the tides ebb and flow in listless and soundless ripples.”
“She could do nothing for herself, she could only obey Joan's dictates, and this she did in listless misery.”
“Design, were pretty lethargic, a word that means "listless" - and also a word Wiggins might not know how to spell.”
“A shadow was on the threshold, and before I had recalled my listless fancy, in tripped Frances Sutherland, herself, feigning not to see me.”
“Hence, in this anarchic foam of tastes and distastes, a kind of listless blur, gradually appears the figure of a bodily enigma, requiring complicity or irritation.”
J’aime/Je n’aime pas : Ange Mlinko : Harriet the Blog : The Poetry Foundation
“DAN HILL, BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT: And if you don't do something, I think you run the risk of looking kind of listless, forlorn, marooned.”
“Robert visited Saturday but we were kind of listless and uncreative.”
“So I still feel kind of listless and shitty, and I couldn't for the life of me come up with a reason.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘listless’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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henryar's list
marmoleum, menagerie, cyan, ochre, pilfer, discombobulate, loquacious, iridescent, amethyst, derelict, botulism, equilibrium and 240 more...
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Lists
I'm sure someone's done this before. If so, please leave the name of the list as an item on the list. Thank you.
grocery list, santa's list, A list, backlist, frontlist, midlist, Franz Liszt, baronage, bibliography, index, list, listing and 61 more...
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Here Comes Almost Everybody
words of what happens when one is left behind.
reference to Joyce's Book of the Dark (a dissecting of Finnegan's Wake)enervated, unnerved, vitiated, thinned, enfeebled, gone to seed, pilfered, quaff, plaque, antithesis, blimp, listless and 7 more...
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Words from poetry you write that you don't use ...
See title
ireland, tattered, contents, silver, springs, waltz, spite, hammock, slackening, firmament, poesy, writ and 24 more...
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Express Yourself
Words Describing Emotions
abhor, diffident, bullience, effusice, enervate, frenetic, impetuous, implacable, listless, mercurial, rancorous, reticent and 7 more...
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I Can't Be Bothered Thinking Of A List Title
Anyone who adds to this list is obviously showing too much initiative.
inefficiency, multislacking, cba syndrome, listless, demotivated, shirker, lazybones, half-hearted, goldbricker, scrimshanker, zuzzurellone, apath and 2 more...
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Not Your Typical
wanderlust, querdenker, dodrantal, soporific, vicious, ampersand, desiderative, cynosure, sybaritic, ubiquitous, orthogonal, lacuna and 68 more...
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Tired
exhausted, lethargic, languid, weary, tiresome, faint, dull, sloth, feeble, listless
gangerh This word is a fraud. 29 lists prove it. Jul 5, 2008
jennarenn So true. I always feel like a bit of a parasite, but the comments are so much more fun and low-stress. Oct 26, 2007
seanahan Those of us on Wordie who have or show no interest in making lists. Oct 26, 2007