lethargic
- Affected by lethargy; sluggish, drowsy, and lacking energy or enthusiasm.
In a sentence
- The heat made everyone in the office feel lethargic and unfocused all afternoon.
- After the long illness, she felt lethargic for weeks and struggled to complete simple tasks.
Usage note. Lethargic implies more than ordinary tiredness—it suggests a heavy, prolonged sluggishness, and in medical usage can signal an underlying condition.
Where it comes from
English lethargic · entered English late 14th c.
From Greek lethargikos, derived from lethargia ('drowsiness, forgetfulness'), itself from lethe ('forgetfulness') and argos ('idle'). It passed into Latin as lethargicus and entered English in the late 14th century, initially in medical contexts describing a state of prolonged drowsiness.