different between fruitless vs lacklustre

English

Etymology

From fruit +? -less. Compare Middle English withouten fruyt (“fruitless”, literally “without fruit”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?f?u?tl?s/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?f?utl?s/
• Hyphenation: fruit?less

Adjective

fruitless (comparative more fruitless, superlative most fruitless)

1. Bearing no fruit; barren.
2. (figuratively) Unproductive, useless.
3. (figuratively, archaic) Of a person: unable to have children; barren, infertile.
4. (rare) Of a diet, etc.: without fruit.

Alternative forms

• fruitlesse (obsolete)

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:futile

Antonyms

• fruitful
• (unproductive): effective, efficacious, productive, useful

Derived terms

• fruitlessly
• fruitlessness

Translations

Anagrams

• resistful

English

Etymology

lack +? lustre

Adjective

lacklustre (comparative more lacklustre, superlative most lacklustre)

1. (British) Alternative spelling of lackluster

Noun

lacklustre (countable and uncountable, plural lacklustres)

1. (British) Alternative spelling of lackluster
   • 1990, The Nigerian Economist (volume 4, page lxxii)

     Secondly, the fear of offending the military has reduced the campaigns to mere lacklustres. Promises are reeled off with so much obvious lack of passion that it is quite possible the party bosses themselves hardly believe what they say […]

Anagrams

• lackluster