Lackluster is a compound adjective that means what it sounds like: if something is lackluster it lacks luster; in other words, it is without brilliance, shine, or vitality. … Shakespeare gave us the compound lackluster, first using the term in his play As You Like It.
Where does the word lackluster come from?
lackluster (adj.)
1600, “dull, wanting brightness” (originally of eyes), first attested in “As You Like It,” from lack (v.) + luster (n. 1). Such combinations with lack- were frequent once: Shakespeare alone also has lack-love, lack-beard, lack-brain, lack-linen.
What does lackluster approach mean?
If you describe something or someone as lacklustre, you mean that they are not exciting or energetic. He has already been blamed for his party’s lackluster performance during the election campaign. Synonyms: flat, boring, dull, dim More Synonyms of lacklustre.
How do you use the word lackluster?
1. He has already been blamed for his party’s lackluster performance during the election campaign. 2. He ran a lackluster campaign for president in the 1992 primaries.
What does it mean to be called obtuse?
Obtuse, which comes to us from the Latin word obtusus, meaning “dull” or “blunt,” can describe an angle that is not acute or a person who is mentally “dull” or slow of mind. The word has also developed a somewhat controversial sense of “hard to comprehend,” probably as a result of confusion with abstruse.
Is lackadaisical a real word?
without interest, vigor, or determination; listless; lethargic: a lackadaisical attempt. lazy; indolent: a lackadaisical fellow.
Did Shakespeare invent lackluster?
How did Shakespeare get credit for inventing words like puppy dog and lackluster? … Computers analyzing thousands upon thousands of texts have revealed that, not only did Shakespeare not invent all of these words, he might not have been the first to write them down, either.
What is root word of carcass?
carcass (n.)
“dead body of an animal,” late 13c., from Anglo-French carcois, from or influenced by Old French charcois (Modern French carcasse) “trunk of a body, chest, carcass,” and Anglo-Latin carcosium “dead body,” all of unknown origin; original form uncertain. … Italian carcassa probably is a French loan-word.
What’s the meaning of uninspiring?
: not having an animating or exalting effect : not inspiring an uninspiring speaker The space was limited, the light was less than adequate, and the surroundings were generally uninspiring.—
What is a precocious person?
1 : exceptionally early in development or occurrence precocious puberty. 2 : exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age a precocious child.
What does Coruscant mean in English?
adjective. sparkling or gleaming; scintillating; coruscating.
What is the synonym of the word lackluster?
Synonyms & Near Synonyms for lackluster. cloudy, dull, dulled.
Is subpar one word?
below an average, usual, or normal level, quality, or the like; below par: This month his performance has been subpar.
Did Shakespeare invent the word swag?
Shakespeare invented many words that might surprise you. … The word swagger, popular with rap musicians, was first used in Henry V and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, though Shakespeare didn’t invent the word swag.
Did Shakespeare really invent words?
William Shakespeare is credited with the invention or introduction of over 1,700 words that are still used in English today. William Shakespeare used more than 20,000 words in his plays and poems, and his works provide the first recorded use of over 1,700 words in the English language.
Is Lazy short for lackadaisical?
FCC: Lazy Or Just Lackadaisical? Lazy implies the deliberate avoidance of work in order to spare oneself effort. Lackadaisical implies lack of purpose. The lazy person has a purpose.
What is short for lackadaisical?
Lax is a related term of lackadaisical.
Is apprehended meaning?
1 : arrest, seize apprehend a thief. 2a : to become aware of : perceive She immediately apprehended the problem. b : to anticipate especially with anxiety, dread, or fear. 3 : to grasp with the understanding : recognize the meaning of. intransitive verb.
Is being called obtuse an insult?
The adjective obtuse is good for describing someone slow on the uptake: “Don’t be so obtuse: get with the program!” The adjective obtuse literally means “rounded” or “blunt,” but when it’s used for a person, it means “not quick or alert in perception” — in other words, not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Why is obtuse an insult?
Because it uses the word “dumbass”, which is an insulting label rather than a description of behaviour. But ” intentionally obtuse” is a description of behaviour also, and is also as objective as “avoiding my question” in context.
Can a person be abstruse?
Abstruse is used to describe things that aren’t easily accessible to the lay reader or average person. Specifically, it suggests the use of language or other material that suits the advanced levels of a subject of which the rest of us might have only an elementary understanding.