"zestless" meaning in English

See zestless in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

Forms: more zestless [comparative], most zestless [superlative]
Etymology: zest + -less Etymology templates: {{suffix|en|zest|less}} zest + -less Head templates: {{en-adj}} zestless (comparative more zestless, superlative most zestless)
  1. Lacking zest; passionless, unenthusiastic. Derived forms: zestlessly, zestlessness
    Sense id: en-zestless-en-adj-ZTlF6x7M Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -less

Download JSON data for zestless meaning in English (2.5kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zest",
        "3": "less"
      },
      "expansion": "zest + -less",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "zest + -less",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more zestless",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most zestless",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "zestless (comparative more zestless, superlative most zestless)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -less",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "zestlessly"
        },
        {
          "word": "zestlessness"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "1792, Robert Sadler, Wanley Penson, or The Melancholy Man, London: C. & G. Kearsley, Volume 3, p. 252,\nThere are moments, indeed, in which I could be pleased to repay even a zestless joke with a smile, and, to feed the cheerfulness of a companion, rummage my own recollection for a mirthful incident; but, alas! ’tis not so now—My soul is too much absorbed in its own gloomy ruminations, to be drawn forth by its accustomed urbanity […]"
        },
        {
          "text": "1865, Charles Heavysege, Jephthah’s Daughter, Montreal: Dawson Brothers, IV, (unpaginated),\n[…] So he passes\nTo second childhood; but, as quickening gases,\nBeing fled, leave zestless a once cheering draught,\nWe grow not merry though the Dotard laughed."
        },
        {
          "ref": "1941, James Hilton, Random Harvest, Boston: Little, Brown & Co., Part Four, p. 249",
          "text": "As he descended the stairs he felt calmer, readier to do battle with the forces arrayed against him; and that made him feel a little warm towards the weak healthy boy who never did battle at all, but just drank and debauched himself in a bored, zestless way.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "text": "c. 1956, Martin Luther King Jr., sermon delivered at the time of the Montgomery bus boycott, cited in Dream: The Words and Inspiration of Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulder, CO: Blue Mountain Press, p. 81,\nCourageous men never lose the zest for living even though their life situation is zestless; cowardly men, overwhelmed by the uncertainties of life, lose the will to live."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Lacking zest; passionless, unenthusiastic."
      ],
      "id": "en-zestless-en-adj-ZTlF6x7M",
      "links": [
        [
          "zest",
          "zest"
        ],
        [
          "passionless",
          "passionless"
        ],
        [
          "unenthusiastic",
          "unenthusiastic"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "zestless"
}
{
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "zestlessly"
    },
    {
      "word": "zestlessness"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zest",
        "3": "less"
      },
      "expansion": "zest + -less",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "zest + -less",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more zestless",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most zestless",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "zestless (comparative more zestless, superlative most zestless)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English adjectives",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English terms suffixed with -less",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "1792, Robert Sadler, Wanley Penson, or The Melancholy Man, London: C. & G. Kearsley, Volume 3, p. 252,\nThere are moments, indeed, in which I could be pleased to repay even a zestless joke with a smile, and, to feed the cheerfulness of a companion, rummage my own recollection for a mirthful incident; but, alas! ’tis not so now—My soul is too much absorbed in its own gloomy ruminations, to be drawn forth by its accustomed urbanity […]"
        },
        {
          "text": "1865, Charles Heavysege, Jephthah’s Daughter, Montreal: Dawson Brothers, IV, (unpaginated),\n[…] So he passes\nTo second childhood; but, as quickening gases,\nBeing fled, leave zestless a once cheering draught,\nWe grow not merry though the Dotard laughed."
        },
        {
          "ref": "1941, James Hilton, Random Harvest, Boston: Little, Brown & Co., Part Four, p. 249",
          "text": "As he descended the stairs he felt calmer, readier to do battle with the forces arrayed against him; and that made him feel a little warm towards the weak healthy boy who never did battle at all, but just drank and debauched himself in a bored, zestless way.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "text": "c. 1956, Martin Luther King Jr., sermon delivered at the time of the Montgomery bus boycott, cited in Dream: The Words and Inspiration of Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulder, CO: Blue Mountain Press, p. 81,\nCourageous men never lose the zest for living even though their life situation is zestless; cowardly men, overwhelmed by the uncertainties of life, lose the will to live."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Lacking zest; passionless, unenthusiastic."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "zest",
          "zest"
        ],
        [
          "passionless",
          "passionless"
        ],
        [
          "unenthusiastic",
          "unenthusiastic"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "zestless"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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