Lassitude Meaning
/ˈlæsɪˌtjuːd/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounLethargy or lack of energy; fatigue, languor, listlessness
Sentence Examples
Counterintuitively, the cure for my lassitude was exercise.
We can't abandon our principles out of moral lassitude.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
After the long illness, he felt extreme ____ and could barely lift his head.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
After a long and difficult week of work, he was overcome by a sense of deep ____ and just wanted to rest.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from French lassitude, from Latin lassitūdō (“faintness, weariness”), from lassus (“faint, weary”), perhaps for *ladtus, and thus akin to English late.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Rufus Dawes, though his eyelids would scarcely keep open, and a terrible lassitude almost paralysed his limbs, eagerly drank in the whispered sentence."
— 1833, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Heath's Book of Beauty, 1833-The Enchantress:
""Then it's No, darling?" he said at last.
She gave a gesture of lassitude. She was exhausted.
"The studio is yours. Everything belongs to you. If you want to bring him here, how can I prevent you?""
— 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 25”, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC:
"In order to appear busy, one should pace around the office clutching files.... The best part of this ancient ritual is that it tends to make one's colleagues look away—just in case you and your papers are going to interrupt their own lassitude."
— 2004 August 16, “Is Slacking the Only Way to Survive the Office?”, in The Scotsman, Edinburgh:
"At Euro 2004 and the 2002 World Cup, Blatter commented this week, many stars were physically and mentally exhausted, and left an aftertaste of nonchalance and lassitude."
— 2004 August 11, Rob Hughes, “Soccer: The Olympic Flame Running Low on Fuel”, in International Herald Tribune, Paris:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After the long illness, he felt extreme ____ and could barely lift his head.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
After a long and difficult week of work, he was overcome by a sense of deep ____ and just wanted to rest.