lethargic

adjective

le·​thar·​gic lə-ˈthär-jik How to pronounce lethargic (audio)
le-
1
: of, relating to, or characterized by laziness or lack of energy : feeling or affected by lethargy : sluggish
The patient was weak and lethargic.
2
: indifferent, apathetic
The legislature was lethargic in considering the bill.
lethargically adverb

Did you know?

In Greek mythology, Lethe was the name of a river in the underworld that was also called "the River of Unmindfulness" or "the River of Forgetfulness." Legend held that when someone died, he or she was given a drink of water from the river Lethe to forget all about his or her past life. Eventually this act of forgetting came to be associated with feelings of sluggishness, inactivity, or indifference. The name of the river and the word lethargic, as well as the related noun lethargy, all derive from lēthē, Greek for "forgetfulness."

Examples of lethargic in a Sentence

You'll need to move your lure as slowly as possible to tempt the lethargic fish into feeding … Lenny Rudow, Boating, December 1997
… became a drifter and for a time an alcoholic and finally lapsed into lethargic self-abasement. Stanley Karnow, New York Times Book Review, 14 Oct. 1984
The audience was cold and lethargic. It is true there were about fifty-seven applauses, but they were not roars of enthusiasm by any means. Lady Bird Johnson 12 Jan. 1966, in A White House Diary1970
The patient is weak and lethargic. a big meal always makes me feel lethargic and sleepy
Recent Examples on the Web Musk first unveiled the Cybertruck back in 2019, but the production timeline has been lethargic ever since. Bydylan Sloan, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 Cold water temperatures make for lethargic bass in the winter, but as water temps rise in the spring, bass become much more aggressive. Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 6 Mar. 2024 After winning the first two races, Secretariat became lethargic, trained poorly, and reduced his daily input of hay from 23 to a few bales of hay per day. Torie Bosch, STAT, 17 Feb. 2024 In the absence of such clarity, investors are staying away from China Reflecting that, the performance of Chinese assets has been lethargic, and valuations (of equities are now very low). Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Lochlan became lethargic and nonresponsive through the evening, and refused to eat. Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2024 Besides excess urination, the symptoms of water intoxication can include feeling irritable, lethargic, more easily distractible or confused, vomiting, nausea, and in most critical cases, seizures and comas or even death, Bober said. Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 18 Feb. 2024 With winter in full swing, many of us may be feeling more lethargic than usual, and may be craving energy-boosting foods. Georgia Day, Glamour, 1 Jan. 2024 But even in those three wins, the team has had to overcome lethargic starts to defeat Penn State, 81-75, in overtime on Dec. 6, Michigan, 64-57, on Jan. 11, and Nebraska, 73-51, on Jan. 27. Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lethargic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see lethargy

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lethargic was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near lethargic

Cite this Entry

“Lethargic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lethargic. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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