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Listless vs Lax - What's the difference?

listless | lax | Related terms |

Listless is a related term of lax.


As an adjective listless

is lacking energy, enthusiasm, or liveliness.

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

    *

    lax

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (Killian)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) lax, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (laxes)
  • A salmon.

    • Etymology 2

    From (etyl)

    Adjective

    (er)
  • lenient and allowing for deviation; not strict.
    • The rules are fairly lax , but you have to know which ones you can bend.
  • * J. A. Symonds
    • Society at that epoch was lenient, if not lax , in matters of the passions.
  • loose; not tight or taut.
    • The rope fell lax .
  • * Ray
    • the flesh of that sort of fish being lax and spongy
  • lacking care; neglectful, negligent
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=October 1 , author=Phil Dawkes , title=Sunderland 2 - 2 West Brom , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Prior to this match, Albion had only scored three league goals all season, but Wes Brown's lax marking allowed Morrison to head in their fourth from a Chris Brunt free-kick and then, a minute later, the initial squandering of possession and Michael Turner's lack of pace let Long run through to slot in another.}}
  • (archaic) Having a looseness of the bowels; diarrheal.
    • Synonyms
    * permissive, lenient * loose, slack
    Antonyms
    * strict * taut, tight

    Noun

    (-)
  • lacrosse
    • ----