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Listless vs Dreary - What's the difference?

listless | dreary | Related terms |

Listless is a related term of dreary.


As adjectives the difference between listless and dreary

is that listless is lacking energy, enthusiasm, or liveliness while dreary is (obsolete) grievous, dire; appalling.

listless

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Lacking energy, enthusiasm, or liveliness.
  • * 1818 , , Frankenstein , ch. 18:
    • I passed whole days on the lake alone in a little boat, watching the clouds and listening to the rippling of the waves, silent and listless .
  • * 1861 , , The Stokesley Secret , ch. 6:
    • What an entirely different set of beings were those Stokesley children in lesson-time. . . . Poor, listless , stolid, deplorable logs, with bowed backs and crossed ankles, pipy voices and heavy eyes!
  • * 1901 , , The Hero , ch. 21:
    • The scene with Mrs. Wallace had broken his spirit, and he was listless now, indifferent to what happened.
  • * 2005 Nov. 29, Aryn Baker, " John Hardy: Bali Guy," Time :
    • “Listless , inattentive, distracted,” he recited. “A daydreamer. Tries his best, but is too slow.”

    Derived terms

    * listlessly * listlessness

    Anagrams

    *

    dreary

    English

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • (obsolete) Grievous, dire; appalling.
  • Drab; dark, colorless, or cheerless.
    • It had rained for three days straight, and the dreary weather dragged the townspeople's spirits down.
    Once upon a midnight dreary , while I pondered, weak and weary...
  • * 1818 , , Volume 1, Chapter V:
    • It was on a dreary night of November, that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils.

    Anagrams

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