as in listless
lacking bodily energy or motivation
he was spiritless and depressed for weeks after being fired
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 spiritless
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
Lil Wayne is not tolerating spiritless crowds at his shows.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 15 May 2023
The studio setup looks familiar, but the operation itself is spiritless, bearing more resemblance to CNBC’s coverage of the stock market than to the typical sports show, whose belligerent repartee is familiar to anyone who has ever watched a game with friends.
—New York Times, 27 Apr. 2022
That hotel, which opened about a year ago, serves a drink called a Bee’s Knees with a Twist, which costs $19 and includes spiritless gin, lime and honey (cocktails with alcohol range from $21 to $28).
—Alyson Krueger, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023
Hampered by a spare and spiritless screenplay, Smith gives a performance marked by facial expressions, physical movement and a Haitian accent that struggles to shake its studied quality.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2022
This coming holiday season, many glasses raised in Hollywood may be filled with spiritless spirits.
—Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Nov. 2022
Fall menu items include libations like the Hummingbird with tennyson black ginger and the Devil Mountain with a spiritless Kentucky 74.
—Amelia Arvesen, Outside Online, 26 Oct. 2022
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
Lil Wayne is not tolerating spiritless crowds at his shows.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 15 May 2023
The studio setup looks familiar, but the operation itself is spiritless, bearing more resemblance to CNBC’s coverage of the stock market than to the typical sports show, whose belligerent repartee is familiar to anyone who has ever watched a game with friends.
—New York Times, 27 Apr. 2022
That hotel, which opened about a year ago, serves a drink called a Bee’s Knees with a Twist, which costs $19 and includes spiritless gin, lime and honey (cocktails with alcohol range from $21 to $28).
—Alyson Krueger, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023
Hampered by a spare and spiritless screenplay, Smith gives a performance marked by facial expressions, physical movement and a Haitian accent that struggles to shake its studied quality.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2022
This coming holiday season, many glasses raised in Hollywood may be filled with spiritless spirits.
—Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Nov. 2022
Fall menu items include libations like the Hummingbird with tennyson black ginger and the Devil Mountain with a spiritless Kentucky 74.
—Amelia Arvesen, Outside Online, 26 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiritless
Adjective
-
The result — final scores crept into the 200s during what were essentially listless scrimmages (last year's final tally was 211-186).—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
13 Feb. 2025
-
Looking Ahead: After looking listless and broken for almost all of calendar year 2025, Cincinnati has ripped off a three-game winning streak to resuscitate its at-large hopes.—
Jim Root,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Markets grow tired of tariff changes U.S. stocks tumbled Thursday on tariff flip-flop fatigue.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Sleep deprivation comes with real costs Chronic sleep deprivation does more than leave people tired.—
Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Moore really sells the arc from her disappointment in Kaffee’s lackadaisical approach to the case at the film’s start to nearly fangirling over his prowess as a lawyer by the end. 7.—
Eddie Mouradian,
Vulture,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Joe Rogan’s Chats With Tech Moguls Rogan, known for his sprawling interests and wide array of guests, has often been criticized for his lackadaisical interviewing style and tendency to rarely push back on questionable claims.—
Dimitar 'Mix' Mihov,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Over time, this pattern can leave you emotionally exhausted and constantly walking on eggshells to prevent upsetting them.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Hackman was busy in the 1970s — his work also included the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and a French Connection sequel — and the regimen left him exhausted.—
Duane Byrge,
The Hollywood Reporter,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Salesforce shares fell in extended trading Wednesday on mixed quarterly results and weak guidance.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2025
-
There aren’t enough affordable ones and the charging infrastructure is weak.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The dissuading a witness charge against the father stems from what the prosecution said allegedly happened after the boy stopped breathing and his mother carried his limp body upstairs.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacramento Bee,
28 Feb. 2025
-
At 61, Moyes is the oldest manager in the division by some distance, and after a limp 0-1 home defeat to Aston Villa in his first game, the Scotsman appeared to have a slightly more sober take on the task at hand.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This more logistical plot thread proves surprisingly languid for a such a nanoscopic feature, but Kang plays with its withdrawn qualities in fascinating ways.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Martin, ever elegant but rarely a wildly expressive actor, could perhaps do with showing a bit more emotional urgency here to sharpen the interplay with Tom, especially in this naturally languid seaside backdrop.—
Nicolas Rapold,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Such languorous scenes led one of my friends, a seasoned war reporter, to remark that the film was short on action, and its pace is undeniably slower than the typical war documentary.—
Simon Shuster,
TIME,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Steeped in the pleasantly lazy atmosphere of the title setting, the film is languorous, but not long.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
25 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spiritless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiritless. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share