lifeless
gb/lˈaɪfləs/ us/lˈaɪfləs/
B2
English
~ 8200
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
state
1
dead; having no life
Dead; not living anymore, especially talking about a person or animal.
Usage pattern:
a lifeless [body/person/animal]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "lifeless" instead of "dead" in everyday speech. "Dead" is more common and natural in most casual contexts (e.g., "My phone is dead," not "My phone is lifeless"). "Lifeless" is often used in more serious, descriptive, or written language, especially for bodies.
Synonyms
dead (The most common and direct word for not alive; simpler and more frequent than "lifeless".)
|
deceased (More formal and often used for people, especially in official or polite contexts.)
Antonyms
alive (Describes someone or something that has life and is not dead.)
|
living (Focuses on being alive as the opposite of dead or lifeless.)
Collocations
lifeless body
|cold and lifeless
|lay lifeless
|fell lifeless to the ground
|apparently lifeless
Themes
health
|emergencies
|daily life
|animals
Examples
- The rescuers found the climber lying lifeless in the snow.
- She checked his pulse, but his hand felt cold and lifeless.
- The paramedics worked quickly to revive the lifeless child.
- He collapsed on the stage and appeared completely lifeless.
- They pulled a lifeless body from the river after the storm.
Learner examples
- The man was lifeless when the doctor arrived.
- They tried to help the lifeless child.
- The cat was lifeless after the accident.
- The body on the floor was lifeless and cold.
- She held his lifeless hand and cried.
adjective
B2
property
2
dull; lacking energy or spirit
Not lively or exciting; showing no energy or strong feeling.
Usage pattern:
a lifeless [event/performance/voice/room]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse "lifeless" with "boring" or "tired." "Lifeless" usually describes the quality of something (a performance, voice, party) rather than a temporary feeling. We say "I feel tired" more often than "I feel lifeless."
Synonyms
dull (Very common word for something not interesting or exciting; slightly more informal than "lifeless".)
|
flat (Often used for performances, voices, or writing that feel weak or without emotion.)
Antonyms
lively (Describes something full of energy and activity; a direct opposite for events and places.)
|
vibrant (Suggests strong, bright energy or feeling, often about art, cities, or personalities.)
Collocations
lifeless performance
|lifeless party
|lifeless conversation
|lifeless eyes
|lifeless voice
Themes
emotions
|art
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The meeting dragged on for hours in a lifeless room with no natural light.
- His speech was so lifeless that several people started checking their phones.
- The band played well, but the crowd was strangely lifeless.
- She gave a lifeless performance that failed to move the audience.
- After the bad news, conversation at the table became lifeless and slow.
Learner examples
- The movie was long and lifeless.
- We left early because the party was lifeless.
- His voice sounded lifeless on the phone.
- The city felt lifeless on Sunday morning.
- The music was slow and lifeless, so no one danced.
adjective
C1
property
3
having no living things present
Having no living things in it, or not able to be alive, like a rock or a planet without life.
Usage pattern:
a lifeless [place/landscape/planet/object]
Common mistake:
Learners might mix this sense with the figurative "boring" sense. If you mean "not interesting," use sense 2; if you mean "no living things are there," use this sense. In scientific or nature contexts, this environmental sense is usually intended.
Synonyms
barren (Often used for land that cannot produce plants or support life.)
|
inanimate (More technical/formal; describes objects that are not alive and do not move by themselves.)
Antonyms
habitable (Used especially for planets or environments that can support life.)
|
teeming with life (A phrase describing places full of many living things, the opposite of lifeless environments.)
Collocations
lifeless planet
|lifeless landscape
|lifeless desert
|lifeless world
|lifeless surface
Themes
science
|environment
|space
|nature
Examples
- Scientists once believed Mars was a completely lifeless planet.
- We drove for hours across a flat, lifeless desert.
- The bottom of the polluted lake looked strangely lifeless.
- The moon’s surface is cold, dry, and lifeless.
- Without plants or animals, the valley felt empty and lifeless.
Learner examples
- They think this planet is lifeless.
- The desert looks empty and lifeless.
- The room felt cold and lifeless, with no plants or pictures.
- The land was dry and lifeless after the fire.
- The moon is a lifeless place with no water or air.
Grammar
Dictionary form
lifeless
IPA
GB/lˈaɪfləs/
US/lˈaɪfləs/
Syllables & stress
life - less (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (life)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: lifeless
Word family
Related words
Advanced or less common
lifelessly
adverb
lifelessness
noun
Expressions
cold and lifeless
1/kˈoʊld ˈænd lˈaɪfləs/
fixed phrase
physically cold and dead
Dead and with a cold body, usually describing a person or animal that has recently died.
Examples
- His hand was cold and lifeless when she tried to hold it.
- They found the bird on the ground, cold and lifeless.
- The victim lay cold and lifeless on the hospital bed.
lifeless body
1/lˈaɪfləs bˈɑdi/
fixed phrase
a body that is dead
A dead body of a person or animal; a body with no life in it.
Examples
- The lifeless body was discovered at dawn by a hiker.
- Detectives stood in silence over the lifeless body.
- They covered the lifeless body with a blanket.
lifeless eyes
1/lˈaɪfləs ˈaɪz/
fixed phrase
eyes without emotion or energy
Eyes that look empty, without feeling or energy, or without the normal light of a living person.
Examples
- He stared at the wall with lifeless eyes after hearing the news.
- The actor played the villain with cold, lifeless eyes.
- In the photo, her usually bright eyes look strangely lifeless.