Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective listless differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of listless are lackadaisical, languid, languorous, and spiritless. While all these words mean "lacking energy or enthusiasm," listless suggests a lack of interest caused by physical weakness or dissatisfied boredom.

listless hospital patients
listless children flipping through picture books on a rainy day

When can lackadaisical be used instead of listless?

While the synonyms lackadaisical and listless are close in meaning, lackadaisical implies a carefree indifference marked by half-hearted efforts.

lackadaisical college seniors pretending to study

When might languid be a better fit than listless?

The words languid and listless are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, languid refers to an unwillingness or inability to exert oneself due to fatigue or physical weakness.

was depressed and languid for weeks after surgery

When is it sensible to use languorous instead of listless?

The words languorous and listless can be used in similar contexts, but languorous suggests a dreamy boredom and delicacy that avoids unnecessary activity.

languorous cats lying in the sun

When would spiritless be a good substitute for listless?

Although the words spiritless and listless have much in common, spiritless refers to a lack of animation or vigor that gives one's actions and words life.

a spiritless recital of the poem

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of listless The 49ers surely have a strategy to fix their listless 2024 defense and to fill the holes that opened up on Monday. Matt Barrows, The Athletic, 11 Mar. 2025 On disk, the Bostonians play with maximum effervescence, but in the Adagio of the Concerto in G Cho’s attempt at otherworldly lyricism turns listless. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025 At the center was James Harden, who seemed listless after logging nearly 40 minutes per game recently while the team got healthy. Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 1 Mar. 2025 The animals found onshore in recent days – many in good body shape and pregnant, rescuers said – are seizing and acting listless or unresponsive, even when people are close by. Erika I. Ritchie, Orange County Register, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for listless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for listless
Adjective
  • Robbins was mostly Black, a place built by Black people who were tired of racial conflict in Chicago.
    D. Watkins, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Was Michelle ever tired of using the vibrator all the time in the show?
    Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Dance sections lacked charm; lyric passages were spiritless; the klezmer episodes in the third movement were strictly goyish.
    Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Yet the club dropped the contest in spiritless fashion, 6-2.
    Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2023
Adjective
  • King Charles cant get involved in Prince Harrys security woes: author Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of ‘My Mother and I,’ explains why the monarch is too exhausted to deal with his younger son’s ongoing court battle.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Factors like dehydration, sugar crashes, caffeine withdrawal and tolerance, and sleep cycle disruption can actually leave you more exhausted after an energy drink.
    Laura Dorwart, Verywell Health, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The alternating worlds are meant to be playful, but Toontown especially gets exhausting quickly, with characters mugging, clowning and amplifying every limp punchline.
    Frank Rizzo, Variety, 8 Apr. 2025
  • As Rick carries her limp body away from the tumult, Sritala orders security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) to kill him.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Many said the progressive-sounding program is being pushed by indifferent state leaders and is creating lackadaisical security conditions in already dangerous work environments.
    William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 10 Apr. 2025
  • However, the Knicks’ lackadaisical defense to start the game bit them in the end, as the Spurs’ Sandro Mamukelashvili hit more 3s than vowels in his last name.
    James L. Edwards III, The Athletic, 20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Turning off bright bedroom-ceiling lights and flicking on table or floor lamps can help your brain ease into sleepy mode each evening.
    Glamour, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Submissions already include some stunning wildlife photography, including a sleepy lion cub on a dirt road, a mountain goat standing in a field of wildflowers, and a rhinoceros strolling in India.
    Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • On Blue Veil, the British composer coaxes earthy tremors from the cello, turning the sound of bow scrapes and resonant harmony into a languid psychic expanse.
    Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 18 Apr. 2025
  • His paintings frequently depict flowering trees, grassy fields and blue swimming pools under languid skies.
    Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But in many performances, much of its detail can seem puzzling or pointless—vigorous or languorous notes spinning between the overwhelming climaxes.
    David Denby, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Steeped in the pleasantly lazy atmosphere of the title setting, the film is languorous, but not long.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Listless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listless. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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