different between offhand vs listless
offhand
English
Alternative forms
- off-hand
Etymology
From Middle English *ofhande, *ofhende, from Old English ofhende (“absent, lost”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *abahandijaz. Equivalent to off- +? hand. Cognate with Icelandic afhendur. Compare onhand.
Pronunciation
- (US) IPA(key): /??f?hænd/
- Rhymes: -ænd
Adjective
offhand (comparative more offhand, superlative most offhand)
- Without planning or thinking ahead.
- Careless; without sufficient thought or consideration.
- Curt, abrupt, unfriendly.
Synonyms
- (without planning): impromptu, extemporaneous, off-the-cuff; see also Thesaurus:impromptu
Translations
See also
- off the top of one's head
Adverb
offhand (comparative more offhand, superlative most offhand)
- Right away, immediately, without thinking about it.
- Offhand, I'd guess that that's a yellow-bellied sapsucker.
- 1854, William Makepeace Thackeray, The Rose and the Ring:
- We will have no more of this shilly-shallying! Call the Archbishop, and let the Prince and Princess be married offhand!
- In an offhand (adjective) manner.
Anagrams
- hand off, hand-off, handoff
offhand From the web:
- offhand meaning
- offhandish what does it mean
- what does offhand meaning
- what is offhand shooting
- what is offhand in ark
- what does offhand mean in ark
- what does offhand comment mean
- what does offhand mean
listless
English
Etymology
From Middle English lystles, equivalent to list (“desire”) +? -less. Compare Dutch lusteloos (“lethargic, listless”). Doublet of lustless.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?l?stl?s/
Adjective
listless (comparative more listless, superlative most listless)
- Lacking energy, enthusiasm, or liveliness.
- 1818, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein, ch. 18:
- I passed whole days on the lake alone in a little boat, watching the clouds and listening to the rippling of the waves, silent and listless.
- 1861, Charlotte M. Yonge, The Stokesley Secret, ch. 6:
- What an entirely different set of beings were those Stokesley children in lesson-time. . . . Poor, listless, stolid, deplorable logs, with bowed backs and crossed ankles, pipy voices and heavy eyes!
- 1901, William Somerset Maugham, The Hero, ch. 21:
- The scene with Mrs. Wallace had broken his spirit, and he was listless now, indifferent to what happened.
- 2005 Nov. 29, Aryn Baker, "John Hardy: Bali Guy," Time:
- “Listless, inattentive, distracted,” he recited. “A daydreamer. Tries his best, but is too slow.”
- 1818, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein, ch. 18:
Derived terms
- listlessly
- listlessness
Translations
Anagrams
- slitless
listless From the web:
- what listless means
- what listless means in spanish
- listless what to do
- listless what does it means
- what does listless mean
- what causes listlessness
- what is listlessness in a baby
- what does listlessly
Share
Tweet
+1
Share
Pin
Like
Send
Share
you may also like
- offhand vs listless
- explanation vs lesson
- sinuosity vs labyrinth
- burning vs ablaze
- meritorious vs reputable
- stress vs grievance
- exemplar vs rebuke
- shrink vs lighten
- affiliate vs combine
- representative vs unique
- undercover vs shifty
- line vs task
- mow vs pare
- certain vs unshakable
- obnoxious vs appalling
- storm vs fulminate
- skittish vs fanciful
- dissuade vs impede
- enormous vs grandiose
- icy vs piercing