lackluster en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈlɛklɐstə/ (New-Zealand)
- /ˈlaklʊstə/ (Northern-England)
- (US) audio
- /ˈlæklʌstɚ/ (Canada, General-American)
- /ˈlaklʌstə/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- /ˈlæklɐstə/ (Australia)
- /ˈlæklʌstə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈlaklʌstəɾ/ (Scotland)
Etymology
Etymology tree English lack English lust Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English luster English lackluster From lack + luster.
Meanings
- (US) Lacking brilliance or intelligence.
-
(US) Having no shine or luster; dull.
A faded, and an ancient dragon he was; and many a wintry storm of rain, snow, sleet, and hail, had changed his colour from a gaudy blue to a faint lack-lustre shade of gray.
1842 December – 1844 July, Charles Dickens, chapter 3, in The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1844, →OCLC, page 19:He sat looking at her with lack-lustre eyes. The light suddenly came back into them.
1885, William Dean Howells, chapter XIX, in The Rise of Silas Lapham:
-
(US, figuratively) Not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality.
Pressure on the UK government to commit to concrete measures and not just “lacklustre” verbal condemnation if Israel goes ahead with annexation of parts of the West Bank has been stepped up by a coalition of 14 British charities and human rights groups.
2020 June 29, Patrick Wintour, “UK criticised for 'lacklustre' response to Israel West Bank plans”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 31 Aug 2020:The actor gave a lackluster performance in his latest film.
Tory MPs said Raab had been “lacklustre”, with one saying his position was “untenable”.
2021 August 20, Martin Farrer, “Friday briefing: ‘Lacklustre’ Raab under pressure to quit”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 20 Aug 2022:It’s fascinating to see a show wrap up in a manner wherein many of the flaws so clearly occur offscreen rather than on; the plague of season eight hasn’t been lackluster episodes, for the most part (though “The Last Of The Starks” was a definite low point).
2019 May 19, Alex McLevy, “The final Game Of Thrones brings a pensive but simple meditation about stories (newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 22 May 2019:An allegedly true story emerges as a lackluster riff on American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street with a scrappy turn from an overly disguised lead star[.]
2016 December 30, Jordan Hoffman, “Gold review – the priciest ore is a bore in Matthew McConaughey misfire”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 24 Aug 2019:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| lack-lustre | UK, alternative | lexicographic | |
| most lackluster | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more lackluster | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| lacklustre | UK, alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Synonyms
ass-brained · soft · addlepated · insipid · dull as dishwater · vanilla · peabrained · OK · corny · ignorant · middling · bullet-headed · half-witted · chowderheaded · vacuous · thick as pig shit · dull · dingy · chuckleheaded · slow · sharp as a bowling ball · moderate · hammer-headed · addlebrained · thick as a plank · obtuse · boring · whatever · thick-skulled · dented · purblind · dumb as dirt · Boeotian · okayish · soporific · drowsy · empty-headed · pallid · dumb · cold · unapprehensive · crappy · stolid · middling · silly · pratty · lamebrained · lifeless · muddy · lackluster · fatheaded · colourless · woolly-headed · colourless · pedestrian · dull · cerebrally challenged · mentally retarded · static · wooden-headed · humdrum · dumb as a doorknob · languid · buffle-headed · brainless · straightforward · beef-witted · blah · nitwitted · mentally challenged · simple · cretinous · pudding-headed · boneheaded · insipid · witless · lackluster · dumb as a sack of hammers · wan · faint · uninspiring · monotonous · mindless · dreich · no great shakes · doltish · shit-for-brains · monosynaptic · vapid · not the sharpest knife in the drawer · thick as a whale omelette · flat · lame · thick as mince · comme ci comme ça · so-so · dozy · dense · dim-witted · heavy going · goofy · moronic · not worth writing home about · sheep-headed · leaden · dim · meh · dull · fuzzy-headed · plodding · woolly-minded · wooden · bland · faint · intellectually challenged · dull-witted · plain · unexceptional · thick as a brick · half-brained · lunkheaded · sober · braindead · bland · mediocre · dumb as a post · simple · mundane · drab · inane · thickheaded · shitty · decent · thick as champ · knuckleheaded · dunderheaded · imbecilic · dumber than a box of rocks · puerile · tedious · unclever · wool-headed · nothing to write home about · thick · retarded · stodgy · foolish · dull-minded · uncolorful · beefheaded · commonplace · oafish · airheaded · quarter-witted · bee-brained · slow-witted · snoozeworthy · fuzzy-minded · blockheaded · wan · vacant · ridiculous · prosy · dopey · smooth-brained · unsmart · beetle-headed · prosaic · numbskulled · tedious · idiotic · weaksauce · unintelligent · bubbleheaded · dumb as a box of rocks · wan · birdbrained · lowbrow · tolerable · dim-headed · thick · banal · dull-headed · thickwitted · flea-brained · rockheaded · ok-ok · dim · muttonheaded · ho-hum · fuckwitted · dim-bulb · uninteresting · childish · bloodless · lumpish · uncool · thick as two short planks · slow on the uptake · mindless · pedestrian · drowsy · sad · dumber than a rock · lackluster · unholiday · crackbrained · mid · uninformed · no fun at parties · feeble-minded · boofheaded · beat · longsome · dumb as an ox · stuffy · indifferent · dumb as a bag of hammers · stupid · daft · not the sharpest crayon in the box · basic · pedestrian · ordinary · average · pedantic · not the sharpest tool in the shed
Translations (54)
fr terne (having no shine or lustre; dull) · fi samea (having no shine or lustre; dull) · tr alelade (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · it spento (having no shine or lustre; dull) · es mate (having no shine or lustre; dull) · de lustlos (having no shine or lustre; dull) · mi haumate (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · es deslucido (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · fi mitäänsanomaton (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · cs matný (having no shine or lustre; dull) · mi mehameha (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · de farblos (having no shine or lustre; dull) · sv glanslös (having no shine or lustre; dull) · lv blāvs (having no shine or lustre; dull) · ca deslluït (having no shine or lustre; dull) · nl dof (having no shine or lustre; dull) · pt desbotado (having no shine or lustre; dull) · pt mortiço (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · fr quelconque (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · cs nevýrazný (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · es pálido (having no shine or lustre; dull) · ca deslluït (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · tr cansız (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · es mediocre (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · el μουντός (having no shine or lustre; dull) · mi hihikokore (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · de langweilig (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · tr ölgün (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · tr donuk (having no shine or lustre; dull) · es cansado (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · pl bezbarwny (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · sv matt (having no shine or lustre; dull) · bg помътнял (having no shine or lustre; dull) · de glanzlos (having no shine or lustre; dull) · es aburrido (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · it pallido (having no shine or lustre; dull) · cs nezajímavý (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · tr mat (having no shine or lustre; dull) · lv nespodrs (having no shine or lustre; dull) · tr cılız (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · de müde (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · pl bezbarwny (having no shine or lustre; dull) · tr vasat (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · tr sıradan (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · ca fat (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · fi kiilloton (having no shine or lustre; dull) · cs mdlý (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · fi lattea (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · de mittelmäßig (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · de matt (having no shine or lustre; dull) · el μουντός (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · ro tern (having no shine or lustre; dull) · mi memeha (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality) · nl middelmatig (not exceptional; not worthy of special merit, attention, or interest; having no vitality)